Upper West Side model crowned ‘Poop Fairy’ for single-handedly cleaning up nabe’s ‘poopmageddon’

A Manhattan woman dubbed the “Poop Fairy” by her neighbors has taken it upon herself to tackle a surge of dog waste left behind after winter snow melted across the city.

Olivia Bannerman, 28, has been methodically cleaning sections of Riverside Park on the Upper West Side, where she often walks her golden retriever, Violet. As temperatures rose and snowbanks receded, they revealed what she described as an “abhorrent” amount of dog droppings scattered across the popular green space.

Armed with rolls of waste bags and determination, Bannerman heads out at least twice daily, comparing the experience to an unpleasant “Easter egg hunt.” The park is so littered, she said, that a standard 15-bag roll can be gone in about 15 minutes. “You’re walking home, running out of bags, and you’re still seeing dozens more piles,” she said. “And the bags aren’t cheap.”

Bannerman, a software designer who also models, said the problem worsened during a prolonged Arctic cold snap, when some pet owners apparently left waste behind in snow, assuming it would stay hidden. As the snow melted, the frozen mess resurfaced. City data reflects the spike: 643 dog-waste complaints were filed through 311 between a late-January snowstorm and this week — up sharply from comparable periods.

The nickname “Poop Fairy” actually predates Bannerman’s cleanup efforts. Former City Council member Erik Bottcher once used the phrase while urging residents to pick up after their pets, noting that no magical helper would do it for them. Neighbors later applied the moniker to Bannerman after seeing her regular rounds.

Rather than venting frustration, Bannerman said she feels a responsibility to act — especially as a relative newcomer to Manhattan. Originally from Seattle, she grew up on a family llama farm where cleaning up after animals was routine. That background shaped her sense of shared responsibility in dense urban life.

“I wasn’t born here, but I live here and benefit from everything the city offers,” she said. “In a place this crowded, what each of us does affects everyone else.”

Recently, Bannerman has also turned to social media to call out negligent pet owners — and jokingly suggest they compensate her for the work she’s doing on their behalf. The title she’s earned still makes her laugh, but she’s embraced it.

“It’s not glamorous,” she said, “but the work matters. So I’ll take it.”