Illegal Dumping Program

About the Program

The Illegal Dumping Prevention and Enforcement program is a joint program of the County of Sacramento and the California Environmental Protection Agency's Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) and is aimed at reducing the incidents of illegal dumping throughout the unincorporated region of the County.

The program is administered by the Municipal Services Agency's (MSA) Department of Waste Management and Recycling. It was developed in collaboration with the Dumping Response Team, a multi-agency and multi-department team comprised of the following County organizations:

MSA – Department of Neighborhood Services
MSA – Department of Planning and Community Development – Code Enforcement Division
MSA – Department of Transportation
MSA – Department of Waste Management and Recycling
MSA – Consolidated Utilities Billing Service (CUBS)
MSA – Communication and Media Information Office
Countywide – Department of Environmental Management
Sacramento County Sheriff
Sacramento County District Attorney
Office Department of Finance – Business Licensing
County Counsel
Board of Supervisors Staff

The program has nine key elements:

Task 1: Illegal Dumping Cleanup Enhanced Response
The County is concentrating on public right-of-ways in five zones with historical illegal dumping, which accounted for 41 of the 97 chronic illegal dumping sites in the county in 2002/2003. Geographic locations of these sites are:

Zone 1: Rio Linda Blvd./Elkhorn Blvd.
Zone 2: Stockton Blvd/14th Ave.
Zone 3: Franklin Blvd./47th Ave.
Zone 4: Power Inn Rd./Florin Rd.
Zone 5: Alta Mesa Rd./Simmerhorn Rd.
The County will utilize $305,000 in grant funds for the removal and proper disposal or recycling of illegally dumped material from these zones by the Department of Waste Management and Recycling (DWMR) collection forces.

View chronic sites covered by the grant

Task 2: Barriers, Signage and Lighting
The MSA Department of Transportation will test various mitigation measures including bollards, fencing, lighting, and signage to reduce and eliminate offenders' ability to conveniently dispose of trash illegally.

Task 3: Illegal Dumping Sting Operations
The County proposes to stage approximately five illegal dumping sting operations during the term of the grant. These operations will be coordinated by the Code Enforcement Division and will be a combination of enforcement and community awareness. Sting operations will involve the necessary departments as required. The stings will, in general, consist of staging specific locations where refuse needs to be hauled away, either from a vacant lot or in cooperation with a willing landowner.

Task 4: Code Enforcement Enhancements
To support enforcement action against illegal dumping, the County proposes to enhance its ability to document and prosecute offenders, as well as provide labor resources in support of sting operations. This includes acquisition of tools and resources that better enable documentation, and ultimately, prosecution of illegal dumping. These include purchase of various high-tech surveillance equipment.

Task 5: Media Relations and Community Outreach
To enhance the enforcement and prevention efforts, the County will conduct various outreach and information efforts designed to support this program. These efforts will be targeted to raise awareness of illegal dumping and the response of the County and CIWMB among offenders and landowners.

Task 6: Web site
A public will be created for the program to keep the public informed about program events and effectiveness.

Task 7: Public Service Announcements
MSA proposes to prepare public service announcements as appropriate to inform the community of this project. These public service announcements will be tailored for radio and television stations to broadcast. These announcements will inform residents of the environmental and social damages caused by illegal dumping, and how to become involved.

Task 8: Reward Program
To encourage reporting of illegal dumping in progress, the County will sponsor a reward program. The program will pay upon citation or arrest.

Task 9: Appointment Based Neighborhood Clean Up Program
Launched in 1985, the Neighborhood Clean-Up program is geared to provide bulk-hauling service to County residents on an annual basis. Under the program, residents are notified of specific dates when such service is provided by the County in their neighborhood. The program has become extremely popular, with countywide tonnage rising each year. The program, however, has experienced negative effects including scavenging of piles by people outside of the serviced neighborhood and illegal dumping in neighborhoods scheduled to receive NCU service by other residents, out-of-county residents and businesses.

UPDATE: A pilot program for the Appointment Based Neighborhood Clean Up program was approved by the Board of Supervisors on Feb. 21, 2006. It will be rolled out in phases county-wide.