Woman cited $100 for using trash can

NEW YORK, July 6 (UPI) -- An 83-year-old New York woman said she was fined and threatened with arrest by a Sanitation Department agent for putting old newspapers in a city trash can.

Darbe Pitofsky, 83, said she threw a paper bag containing the day-old newspapers in the city litter basket near her East 71st Street apartment at about 6:30 a.m. June 25 and she was quickly approached by a sanitation worker, CBS New York reported Wednesday.

Pitofsky said the worker demanded her identification to write a summons and threatened to "put her away" if she did not quickly comply.

"I froze," Pitofsky said. "He just frightened the hell out of me, scared me to death, I was terrified."

Pitofsky said the agent wrote her a $100 ticket after 25 minutes and threatened to increase it to $300 when she complained about the amount.

A Sanitation Department representative said the streetside litter baskets are for pedestrian use only and are marked with stickers reading "no household trash" or "no business trash" and warnings about $100 fines for violations.

Pitofsky said she has filed a complaint with the city.