

(Photo by Mark Roberts / Gothamist)

The Department of Transportation has once again been forced to send workers to clip love locks off of the Brooklyn Bridge. Why? Because some couples write their names on a padlock and then lock it to the historic structure, throwing the key into the East River. It is a symbol of their love, which statistically won't last forever and probably not even endure through next summer.

They do this because it was in a movie once.

Yesterday, the DOT tweeted that they cut down 450 padlocks, which they noted comes to "75lbs of waste headed to landfill." But why aren't these getting recycled?

We reached out to the DOT asking why the locks aren't recycled (or even sold for scrap), but press secretary Bonny Tsang simply told us, "We’ll be working with DSNY about the refuse policy on our Bridges, but the best solution for the locks on the bridges is for visitors to not place them on this historic structure."

These can be recycled, however—we called Allocco Recycling in Brooklyn, and they told us that recycling padlocks is completely possible.



(Photos by Mark Roberts / Gothamist)

Of course, there are other concerns—Tsang told us "the locks pose a danger to the infrastructure and to the cars traveling below."

In 2013, we reported on the DOT's team that patrols the bridge a few times a month and removes the locks:

Most locks yield easily to the team's industrial-strength bolt cutters (one wonders about the commitment of couples whose love is symbolized by locks meant for luggage zippers). Some locks have resisted multiple attacks. Today's recalcitrant restraints included a straight-shackle padlock perfectly fitted to a steel lattice fence (Chrissy and Dorian, nothing short of a blowtorch will part you!), and a fist-sized lever padlock apparently made in the 19th century that elicited the cry, 'We'd be better off cutting the lamppost it's attached to!' The guys seemed to enjoy the challenge of the toughest locks and the ribbing of the tourists who accused them of homewrecking.

Next time you see someone locking one of these up, explain that their piece of metal garbage doesn't belong on a goddamn National Historic Landmark.