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Recommendation to request City Manager to gather data on Illegal Dumping and draft an Illegal Dumping Action Plan to address the City's approach to resources, education, reporting and enforcement related to illegal dumping. The report should be drafted and returned to City Council within 120 days with subsequent updates on progress annually.
DISCUSSION
Illegal Dumping is the discarding of waste in an improper or illegal manner in public places such as streets, alleys, bikeways, parks, and waterways. Illegally dumped items are unsightly and negatively affect the quality of life in our neighborhoods. Illegal dumping also pollutes the environment and presents a health and safety hazard.
Illegal Dumping is a constant and highly visible problem in the City of Long Beach. Residents report cases of illegally dumped items via the Go Long Beach Mobile app, the Illegal Dumping hotline, as well as by calling their respective Council representatives. Last year, the City processed approximately 18,000 requests for illegally dumped items at an approximate annual cost of $700,000. Currently, an item is logged and processed for pick up in 7-10 work days but can vary based on department workload. Often times, the same area is targeted for illegal dumping multiple times a month, and in worst case scenarios, multiple times a week. In the past 3 years, the number of illegally dumped item collection requests has increased significantly which has had an impact on the City's ability to respond in as timely a manner as possible.
In order for the City of Long Beach to continue to improve how it addresses illegal dumping, it is important to document its current practices. The proposed Illegal Dumping Action Plan will provide a framework for the City of Long Beach to continue reducing incidents of illegal dumping and establish partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, especially in areas that are prone to illegal dumping.
?Also, the study would address current barri...
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