SANTA ANA : Council to Consider Anti-Scavenging Plan

The City Council on Monday will consider an ordinance that would prohibit people from rummaging through trash bins, a situation that has become more common across Orange County with the rising value of recyclable materials.

Santa Ana’s proposed law, which would prohibit scavenging for any type of solid waste, drew criticism from Harry Simon, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Orange County, who questioned whether it would ban people from searching for food and other items of lesser value.

“This is another example of Santa Ana’s effort to drive the homeless out,” Simon said, referring to the city’s action earlier this year to prohibit outdoor camping, usually done by homeless people. “When we suffer as much poverty as we do, this is remarkably cruel and mean-spirited.”

The ordinance was proposed, according to a city report, because the number of incidents of scavenging for recyclable goods has increased in the past few months.

If it passes, those found guilty would be fined $50.

From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., the city’s code enforcement officers would respond to scavenging complaints, and from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m., police officers would respond.

The city would also inform residents where to call to report scavenging activity.

Waste-disposal firms and Orange County cities lose more than $1 million a year to scavengers, according to official estimates. The cost of recyclables has increased. Newsprint, for example, has risen from $20 a ton a couple years ago to $100 a ton today.

Cities have been recycling to comply with state law mandating that they decrease the amount of material that goes to landfills.

Other Orange County cities to pass anti-scavenging ordinances recently are Fountain Valley, Orange and Irvine.