The Brooklyn Eagle first reported this issue<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, there is one Brooklynite on a mission to clean up the trash, with plans of hosting a monthly meet-up with volunteers to keep the beloved bridge looking gorgeous and clean.<\/p>\n \u201cI live in Brooklyn Heights, and most days I\u2019m on the bridge for the commute to work and other stuff. Over the past ten months, in one section of the bridge, it has been getting worse and worse,\u201d said Ellen Baum, a 37-year-old working in tech.<\/p>\n \u201cOne day, I was looking at the bridge, and I was just like, I\u2019ve had it. I have free will. If people can put this stuff on, I can easily take it off,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Make PIX11 your preferred news source on Google: Here\u2019s how <\/a><\/p>\n The Clean up<\/p>\n About a week ago, Baum decided it was time to take action and began cleaning up litter left by visitors. For the past 11 days, she has dedicated a few hours each day to removing trash from the bridge\u2019s fences.<\/p>\n Baum says she has removed everything from unused tampons to condoms that people have tied to the bridge.<\/p>\n She said there\u2019s so much happening in the city and the world at large that she feels absolutely helpless about, and that this one thing is what she knew she could do \u2013 so she has tackled it head-on.<\/p>\n On Wednesday evening, after completing a few hours of cleanup, Baum spoke with PIX11 News about her efforts.<\/p>\n Baum has been spending about an hour or two removing the trash and then posting her progress on Reddit <\/a>to document and share it \u2013 and people are fans.<\/p>\n A before-and-after photo showcases the cleanup efforts of a Brooklyn woman. Photo Courtesy: Ellen Baum. <\/p>\n More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State <\/a><\/p>\n The New York Reddit response<\/p>\n \u201cYou are a rockstar,\u201d wrote Zyyga.<\/p>\n \u201cYou are a hero preserving a NYC Monument! Thanks you,\u201d wrote tmoney 139.\u201d<\/p>\n Many Reddit users also took to the platform to ask why any tourist or visitor would deface the monument.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m guessing this is one of those stupid trends. For tourists, it\u2019s a \u2018once in a lifetime\u2019 experience; they don\u2019t live here, so for them it only means doing it once for the likes, then they fly back to their boring town. For us, it means dealing with this,\u201d wrote defiantspcship.<\/p>\n Others just could not wrap their head around the new trend.<\/p>\n More Local News <\/a><\/p>\n A Brooklynite perspective\u00a0<\/p>\n Many people support Baum\u2019s mission, and some groups and individuals have offered to help, such as Pick Up Pigeons. Baum says the group helped a little, and New York City Redditors have also wanted to lend a helping hand.<\/p>\n Baum says it is a growing effort, but a small group of people, usually tourists, ask her why she removes the trash. Baum says, though, that some people romanticize the notion.<\/p>\n However, Baum stated that most people defend her cleanup.<\/p>\n For Ellen Baum, though, the bottom line is this:<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an extension of my home,\u00a0 I\u2019m on it every day. I don\u2019t own a fence, but if I were living in the suburbs, I wouldn\u2019t allow someone to put trash like that on my own fence,\u201d Baum said. \u201cOn top of that, when the stuff gets wet, it eventually deteriorates, and then it falls off, and then it blows into traffic or blows onto a cyclist, or ends up in the East River. From an environmental perspective, it\u2019s also disgusting. But I also want people to enjoy the bridge as I see it.\u201d<\/p>\n Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here<\/a>. <\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n![\"<strong><em>A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/4cfdb87e8fb252b743c77f7d6ebfcce6.jpeg\"\/)
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