The Long Beach City Council voted this week for the City Manager to look into stricter penalties for people who leave trash on the streets.
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Councilmember Al Austin said illegal dumping is becoming a problem all over the city.
“Whether it’s from residential improvement projects or commercial renovations, too often we see these debris dumped in inappropriate locations, contributing to environmental degradation, public health hazards, and increased city cleanup costs,” he said.
Since January, the Department of Public Works has responded to over 88,000 reports and collected about 18,000 tons of litter. The Long Beach Post reports that smelly trash is often dumped around the city's poorest neighborhoods, sometimes right at resident's doorsteps.
Long Beach’s fines for illegal dumping currently start at $110 per hour for cleanup. A proposal for increased fines will return to the council for approval within 60 days.
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