Program to Clean Up Dumped Trash

Hoping to clean up the city’s image, the Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to launch a $2.6-million citywide program to crack down on illegal trash dumping on public streets and alleys.

The program, which will be funded through state and federal grants, will pay to hire 15 new workers and provide overtime salaries for current city workers to clean up the trash.

The program was proposed by Councilman Richard Alarcon, who heads the council’s Public Works Committee and has long complained about illegal dumping in his northeast San Fernando Valley district.

The effort expands upon a trash cleanup program in Central and South-Central Los Angeles, where illegally dumped trash has created health hazards in alleys and vacant lots, city officials say.

In the central Los Angeles area alone, city workers clean up about 121,000 tons of illegally dumped trash each year, at a cost of more than $4 million, according to a city report.

Under the expanded program, police and reserve officers throughout the city would conduct stakeouts to catch and cite people who illegally dump trash on public property. The city can fine violators up to $1,000 and impound their vehicles.

The council also instructed the city attorney’s office to create a reward program for people who help police catch violators. In addition, the council instructed city staff to come up with a publicity campaign to spread the word on the cleanup program.