Seattle has an illegal dumping problem with few solutions

In a South Seattle neighborhood, Seattle Public Utility contract worker Phil Januto surveys the garbage that has been illegally dumped along a street.

“This is pretty typical: furniture, mattresses, box springs,” Januto said, shaking his head as he spots a large blue box with a peaked wooden roof.

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“First time, actually, for a dog house,” he said. “That’s a new one.”

Idris Beauregard, the Seattle Public Utilities Graffiti & Illegal Dumping Program manager, says there’s more to clean up than ever.

“This past year, in 2017, we received a little over 17,000 illegal dumping complaints. That’s a 193 percent increase,” Beauregard said.

Within that increase, there’s a dangerous trend.

“Lots of fecal matter, lot of used condoms, tons of needles … tons of urine in bottles, as well,” said Oliver Campos, who says that the cleanup crews take hazmat training.

At least some of the garbage appears to be evidence of the homeless crisis in the city, but they’re not the only ones.

“You can kind of tell what’s coming out of a homeless encampment, but a lot of these areas, it’s just coming out of the houses,” Campos said, pointing out some abandoned furniture.

In truth, it’s tough to confirm where any of the garbage is coming from. Illegal dumpers face fines from $150-500. But they’re rarely caught.

“Often times, we need some type of actual footage of the person that’s committing the crime of illegally dumping — license plates, pictures, some video,” Beauregard said.

He says that gives police more clues for tracking down the culprits. Seattle Public Utilities says it is working with Seattle police to develop better strategies for busting illegal dumpers, but there are no specific plans.

Meanwhile, SPU budgeted $670,000 to clean up illegally dumped garbage in 2018.

Check here for more information about how to report illegal dumping in Seattle.

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