Illegal Dumping in San Francisco costs taxpayers $4 Million a year for clean up and rewards being offered to report illegal dumpers.
Residents might want to think twice about dumping that mattress on the street corner because the Department of Public Works is cracking down on people who put unwanted items on city streets.
The department began telling residents through a campaign launched in November that dumping anything on city streets is illegal. If caught, they can be subject to fines of up to $1,000.
“We just don’t have the resources to keep sending staff out to pick up these items left out on the streets,” said Mohammed Nuru, deputy director for operations at Public Works.
Nuru said the cost of sending someone to pick up the items range from hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on the number of items that need to be removed throughout the week.
On average, the department receives 17,000 calls a year about illegal dumping and hauls off 10,000 tons of such garbage, costing taxpayers more than $4 million annually.
Read full story at SF Public Press