The old adage about one man’s trash being another’s treasure is currently playing out between tourists and townies on the Brooklyn Bridge, the New York Post reported.
At some point in 2008, an old tradition was revived on Paris’ Pont des Arts bridge, according to a New York Times article from April 2014.
Visitors attached “love locks,” padlocks symbolizing romantic commitment, to its railings and cast the key into the Seine River. While the practice was initially viewed as harmless and sweet, the Times reported that Parisians had “fallen out of love” with it by September of that year.
By that point, the concept of love locks had spread to other cities and bridges.
It’s not clear when this variation on love locks spread to the Brooklyn Bridge, but on Sept. 12, the Instagram account newfacesny (@newfacesny) documented it in a reel.
In a caption, the user described the “section of fencing that people have covered with everyday items,” which evolved into “an unexpected collage for anyone crossing between Manhattan and Brooklyn” on foot — an activity popular among tourists and locals alike.
All five boroughs of New York City are gritty in their own ways, but the Post claimed that “dirty tissues, hairbands, condoms, tampons, and even panties” had been attached to the Brooklyn Bridge, adorning the landmark with litter.
“We literally just walked past it and seen it and got excited. It’s something we had on us, so we thought it’s quite nice,” said Helen Burton, a British tourist.
While the activity sounded benign, fed-up Brooklynites said it was anything but.
Brooklyn Heights resident Ellen Baum walks across the bridge daily, and she vented about the growing trash wall in a Feb. 2 post on Reddit’s r/Brooklyn forum, where commenters largely agreed.
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“The gumwall in Seattle looks better,” one said.
“Reminds me of the top of Mount Everest. Humans are vile,” another wrote.
That led to her ongoing efforts to clear the Brooklyn Bridge of tourists’ trash.
Eventually, Baum teamed up with local volunteers from Pick Up Pigeons for a cleanup on Feb. 16, during which they removed nearly 13 pounds of litter from the Brooklyn Bridge.
Baum acknowledged that some viewed the ad hoc collage as “art,” but she strongly disagreed.
“It’s just f****** disgusting … The interactions and conversations that take place on the bridge are the art. The bridge itself is the art. We don’t need to put literal trash on it,” she said.
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