NYC Mayor Adams helps destroy 4 tons of illegal weed: WATCH

WATCH: NYPD gets rid of 4 tons of illegal weed

NYC Mayor Eric Adams is manning the controls as the NYPD is getting rid of four tons of illegal weed. Officials say burning the weed is the best way to get rid of it. FOX 5 NY's Morgan McKay has the details.

NEW YORK CITY - NYC Mayor Eric Adams manned the controls as the NYPD disposed of four tons of illegal weed.

The four tons, which equals around 576 bags of cannabis products, were loaded into the trash incinerator on Long Island.

Adams operated what looked like a giant claw machine to scoop up giant piles of trash – including the illegal marijuana – and then moved it over to the incinerator shoot.

The ‘giant claw machine.’

The NYPD Cannabis Task Force says they burn the weed instead of just dumping it into a landfill to cut down on the risk of it being taken home, emphasizing that some of the illegal product contains harmful substances.

The four tons of illegal weed equals around 576 bags of cannabis products.

"You just really open the door of people going to the landfills and trying to salvage whatever they can," Adams said.

Since the spring, the NYPD says they have inspected around 4,000 smoke shops, but have only permanently closed more than 1,000. When it comes to closing that gap, officials say it's a process they are working on.

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Although that weed is getting burned, there is a filtration system at the trash incinerator that scrubs the fumes so that the surrounding community is not impacted.