Sidewalk dumping is costly blight in San Francisco - SF Examiner

Back in November, I posted something about this that was in the SFWeekly, but am posting it again because it's important, and even some friends of mine, who know that I tweet 311 DAILY to report illegal dumping in my neighborhood, have thought nothing of leaving their own trash on the sidewalk for the city to pick up. Thankfully, in the years since I started calling 311, I've actually noticed that the amount of trash dumped near my home has been reduced.  Unfortunately, it hasn't stopped.

Especially in the Bayview, with our freeway and rail overpasses acting as protection for the scofflaws, we have a real problem with people from outside coming into our neighborhood, transients, and with local residents dumping their trash illegally. When you see trash dumped illegally, CALL 311 and report it!

DPW's Mohammed Nuru writes for the SF Examiner,

There is a misconception that if no one picks up your old stuff, there is a planned and budgeted city service that collects the items from sidewalks — things like that old busted fridge or an outdated exercise bike. There is no such service. When The City is picking up sidewalk debris, it is responding to a complaint about sidewalk dumping from nearby residents. The City receives a call and the Department of Public Works sends someone out to pick up and haul items to the transfer station.

What residents do not know is that they are already paying for this service in their monthly refuse bill. In simple math, residents are paying twice to get rid of their junk. It is included in your monthly refuse bill already and we all pay again when Public Works hauls away the items on the taxpayers’ dime.

At a time when The City is tightening its belt, it is paramount that residents take advantage of easy ways to save money, and this is one of them. Save The City $4 million by keeping junk off sidewalks, and that means $4 million more for other services.

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner