FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(PHILADELPHIA, PA) September 11, 2014 –Today, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown called for investigative hearings on illegal dumping, sometimes known as “short dumping.”
Illegal dumping occurs when citizens dispose of personal garbage in public spaces. The problem ranges from disposing of household garbage bags in public trash receptacles to dumping large scale items like mattresses, refrigerators, abandoned vehicles and tires in vacant lots and parkland throughout the city.
In Fiscal Year 2013, the Philadelphia Streets Department spent $1,400,000 cleaning and hauling away 14,000 tons of illegally dumped trash and tires. Estimated costs to clean up illegal dumpsites can range from $600 to over $1,000 per ton for clean up and removal. Small business owners, who typically pay for trash removal services by the pound, are also impacted when household garbage is illegally thrown into their dumpsters, increasing expenses.
Illegal dumping negatively impacts neighborhood property values, creates liability for property owners and creates physical hazards for individuals and pets. Furthermore, it attracts disease-spreading rodents and mosquitoes, such as those carrying the deadly West Nile Virus.
“Clean communities are proud communities,” said Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown. “As a former block captain, I have seen it first hand, when we allow this kind of activity to flourish, it sends the wrong message to those who are littering, that ‘it’s ok, we can get away with it.’ My office has received complaints on the issue of illegal dumping for years and citizens feel like their voices are not being heard. Clearly, this activity is happening for a reason, and it is our job to figure out the how and why, and ultimately implement a better solution.” The hearing will be scheduled in the City Council Committee on Streets, Chaired by Councilman Mark Squilla.
For additional information, quotes or to request an interview with the Councilwoman, please contact Communications Manager Jason Lewis at 215-686-3438 or 267-250-2925.
Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown has passed meaningful legislation and supported valuable community programming that positively impacts her core issues: children and youth, women, education, small business development, arts and culture and the environment and sustainability. Councilwoman Reynolds Brown is the only woman to win an At-Large Council seat since 1999.
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