25 hotspots being monitored and cleaned up

A few months into the implementation of the grant, crews have been closely monitoring the 25 identified hotspots and compiling data to use is the goal of eradicating these sites as illegal dumping locations. There are daily cleanups of these spots, and there has been some larger, concentrated efforts for large cleanups.

Photos here show changes at location #22.

Examples of items found dumpied at sites:

household debris, mattress, furniture, piles of cardboard, pallets, wooden shelf unit, hundreds of full bags of garbage, Styrofoam, paint cans, bottles full of black oil, tires, shopping carts, electronics, broken glass, homeless encampments, broken toilet, canned food. yardwaste, homeless encampments, broken concrete slabs, house chair, scooter, bbq grill parts; vacuum cleaner…

The first quarterly report is being developed with detailed stats, clean up highlights and the first prevention strategies that are being considered.

Work Plan Begins

After receiveing a notice to proceed, work begins on the “San Francisco Illegal Dumping Eradication Project”. Crews have mapped out the plan to monitor, track and cleanup each of the 25 identified hotspots in the southeast sector of San Francisco. Every day of the week, DPW packer trucks are out to patrol the sites. Crews will document the condition of the locations and track the tonnage of debris cleaned up. Soon, the project workscope will include all aspects of the eradication project.

Here’s a summary of the approved work plan:

Work Plan:

DPW will to target the 25 identified chronic illegal dumping sites for clean up, mitigation, public education and outreach, enforcement, and monitoring, to eliminate the site as an illegal dumping location. The 25 sites have been chosen based on the following criteria: (1) it is a public right of way, (2) the visibility to a public thoroughfare, and/or (3) its proximity to residential homes.

The following are the tasks will be implemented:

1. Assessment: Pre-mitigation data including types and quantities of waste, description and identification of neighbors will be collected for each of the 25 sites identified for clean up. Photos and site descriptions will be posted publicly on a Grant Tracker website: https://sfdpwcalrecyclegranttracker.wordpress.com.

2. Cleanup and Prevention: DPW estimates cleanup will be necessary at an average of twice a week for each site.

3. Cleanup of incidental dumping sites: To the extent that illegal dumping shifts to new locations, some of the resources dedicated to the 25 hot spots will be shifted to new locations after review and approval by CalRecycle.

4. Monitoring and Maintenance: Enforcement officers will patrol each of the 25 sites daily to monitor the conditions and report needs for cleanup crews. Crews will check on the installed mitigation measures, and collect evidence (including interviews with neighbors) if illegally dumped materials are found on site.

5. Enforcement: Enforcement officers will collect evidence and work to hold illegal dumpers accountable.

6. Interagency Cooperation: DPW has an extensive list of community and municipal partners to assist with cleanup efforts. To help with outreach and solid waste removal, DPW will partner with Parking and Traffic, Building Inspection, Public Health, Department of the Environment, Redevelopment Agency, Planning Department, and the San Francisco Housing Authority.

7. Community Involvement: DPW outreach staff will prepare flyers and public service announcements to help inform the community of the problems and what the community can do to help the City crack down on illegal dumping.

Large-scale Illegal Dumping Incident in Hotspot Area

On April 8th, DPW received a 311 Service request from a resident reporting a “pile of roofing debris taking up three parking spaces” at 1347 Donner, one block from several of the hotspots. This is the same location as three previous recent incidents. A DPW Zone Supervisor responded and discovered the large pile of discarded roofing materials near the sidewalk. DPW notified the SFPD, the D.A.’s Office and the Office of the City Attorney.

The new pile is estimated at a total 10-12 tons of discarded shingles and old roofing materials, plus other debris such as tires and household items. The debris was tested for hazardous materials and the results found none. The cleanup was conducted on Monday morning, April 11th. This large-scale dumping incident is similar to the ten other incidents that DPW has been tracking since September 2010.

Grant to help clean up 25 illegal dumping hotspots

The Department of Public Works cleans up illegal dumpsites routinely, and clean streets and neighborhoods is one of the City’s top priorities. The mission of the Department of Public Works is to contribute to making San Francisco a beautiful, livable, vibrant, and sustainable city.

This grant will be used to clean up and eliminate 25 of the chronic illegal dumping hot spots in San Francisco’s most frequented dumping locations in the Southeast portion of the City.

Check back here for regular updates and images on the progress of this endeavor.

Over the next two years, the City believes that the 25 identified sites can be eliminated as chronic illegal dumping sites and the quality of life for the nearby residents can be improved.

Report illegal dumping when you see it. Please call 311 or visit http://sf311.org.

Illegal Dumping Targeted Hotspots (DPW)