At 11am on Sunday, April 19th, the corner of 73rd Pl and Edsall Ave will be co-named Tom “Pop” Toscano Way. There will be a naming ceremony open to the public and attended by family, employees of Boro-Wide, and several NYC government officials. Refreshments will be served.

Thomas Joseph “Pop” Toscano was born to immigrant parents in 1926 and grew up in Ridgewood, Queens. After serving in the Navy in World War II, Tom Toscano returned to Queens and became a helper on a garbage truck. After acquiring his first truck and route in 1947, Tom Toscano began providing waste collection services on in Middle Village. 79 years and three generations later, the company that Tom Toscano founded has grown to utilize dozens of trucks, employ hundreds of people, and provide waste collection services to all of New York City. Tom Toscano passed away on October 27th, 2020. He is survived by his 3 children, 11 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren.

“There wasn’t a month that went by that a neighbor on the block, would go to Tom and ask to pick-up a couch or refrigerator that was dropped off in the middle of the night. Because Edsall Ave runs parallel to the railroad, such dumping was common. Tom, known as “The Gentleman of the Sanitation Industry,” never charged neighbors for these removals.” -Peter Toscano

Tom Toscano led Tom Toscano Carting from his very first route in 1947, which was renamed to TNT Carting in 1956, eventually becoming local institution Mr. T Carting in 1978. Through his leadership and community enhancement, Tom Toscano was a pillar of the Central Queens community for over 50 years. Though the name has changed to Boro-Wide after merging with Boro-Wide Recycling in 2022, Tom’s philosophy and work ethic of, “Be fair with people, be honest with people, and you never go wrong.” is still a core tenant of the company. Mr. T Carting operates out of 73-10 Edsall Ave and the surrounding area and is affiliated with waste transfer stations in East Williamsburg and Maspeth.