SAN DIEGO — Illegal dumping in the City of San Diego is the number one problem on the Get It Done app.
News 8 followed a city cleanup crew in North Park to find out how illegal dumpers trash our neighborhoods.
The alleys of North Park illustrate just how bad the problem of illegal dumping has gotten. Sofas, tables, chairs; people just pull up and dump it, leaving it for city crews to clean up later.
On some mornings, the city workers find people sleeping on the piles of furniture.
“It's really bad. I've been here over 30 years and it's getting worse,” said a mechanic working in the North Park neighborhood.
He believes the furniture is coming from renters moving out.
“People that live in an apartment, when then need to move they just dump it in the alley and [leave] it there,” said the mechanic.
People walking through the neighborhood said they notice trash every day, especially in areas where there are no surveillance cameras or signs, which do tend to scare off the illegal dumpers.
“It’s an eyesore, that's for sure,” said one woman walking her dog. “Just over there walking by, there's garbage, a lot of garbage.”
The City of San Diego sent News 8 several photos taken by residents using the city's Get It Done app. Even city workers sometimes use the app in the field to report illegally dumped trash.
For 2021, year to date, illegal dumping was the most reported service call on the Get It Done app – including reports generated by city workers – followed by parking violations, graffiti, missed trash collection, homeless encampments, abandoned scooters and potholes.
When using the Get It Done app to report illegal dumping, the City encourages people to take multiple photos, use the map marker to identify the location, and include additional details in the description section.
Those tips will help city workers locate the dump location and clean it up as fast as possible.
The fines for illegal dumping in the city of San Diego can range from $100 for minor offense up to $1,000 for serious or repeat offenders.
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