Illegal dumping has been a problem both statewide and within Yolo County for many years. However, it is now coupled with a large and growing amount of waste that is generated at active and abandoned homeless camps. The Division of Integrated Waste Management (IWM) first sought to addresses this compounding issue in November of 2019 when negotiating the solid waste franchise agreements with Recology Davis and Waste Management, Inc. These franchise agreements now provide a funding mechanism, via the Sanitation Enterprise Fund, to perform the following cleanup and enhanced solid waste programs annually:
| Illegal Dumping Programs |
IWM Est. Annual Contributions |
| Esparto Transfer Station Staffing |
$67,000 |
| Reimburse Roads Division for Staffing and Disposal Fees |
$45,000 |
| Reimburse Probation for Landfill Roadside Litter Pickup |
$25,000 |
| Hazardous Waste Roadside Cleanup |
$40,000 |
| TOTAL: |
$177,000 |
These franchise agreements also provide a total of 11 (40-yard) dumpsters to aid us in the cleanup of sites each calendar year, many of which go unused. Over the past two years, there have been multiple issues in designating appropriate boundary lines for these cleanup locations where city and county lines cross. Therefore, one piece of our continued efforts is the attached draft of an "Unincorporated Illegal Dumping/Homeless Camp Cleanup Dumpster Request Form". (Att. A.) IWM staff will continue to work with other internal departments to finalize this draft Dumpster Request Form by 12/31/21. As part of this process, we are developing a plan for who will load the dumpsters, while at the same time addressing safety concerns and disposal restrictions. Once the Dumpster Request Form has been completed, it will be distributed to the board members so that the program can be fully utilized in 2022 and beyond.
IWM continues to partner with the Consumer Fraud and Environmental Protection Division (CFEPD) of the District Attorney's Office to work on expanding the prevention of illegal dumping. Together, we attend monthly Zoom meetings hosted by the Northern California Illegal Dumping Task Force (initiated by Alameda County Supervisor Miley's Office) which focuses on the three "E"s (Education, Eradication and Enforcement). IWM and CFEPD recently applied for CalRecycle's Farm and Ranch Clean Up grant in August of 2021, seeking funding for cameras at both ends of Babel Slough Road in Clarksburg. This is pending approval, and if awarded, would bring 24-hour surveillance to an area of our county that is continually hit hard with illegal dumping.
IWM staff has also completed the initial surveying of customers who arrive onsite at the landfill in violation of State tarping regulations. While a long-term study will need to be completed prior to the Board implementing a potential future uncovered load fee, we have gleaned a lot of information from Sacramento County who recently implemented such a program. A main component of their new program is education. After passing their uncovered load fee in January of 2021, Sacramento County spent five months handing out flyers and educating the public about the new fee going into effect. They ran into multiple issues with customers only bringing enough cash to cover the cost of disposal and not the additional fees, including issues with larger haulers having covered loads but tarps with tears in the covers which led to debris littering the roadway. Sacramento County staff also provided feedback that equitably evaluating loads is difficult. Due to the variety of waste that customers haul, and the size and types of vehicles, one gate attendant could make the assessment that the fee is necessary and while another gate attendant would rule that a fee is not necessary. Providing gate attendants the right tools to deal with customers who disagree with the fee being charged is also essential. Sacramento County is using their $25 fee collected to pay for roadside litter pickup around their landfill, which IWM currently pays for out of Recology Davis and Waste Management, Inc. funded franchise agreements. IWM staff plans to conduct a more in-depth survey to see how many customers annually this would affect and how we could minimize the impact to our wait times through the gate.
Lastly, as a reminder, IWM is working with all four municipalities to continue to offer bulky waste voucher programs at the Yolo County Central Landfill. This allows every household in Yolo County the opportunity to get rid of hard to dispose of items, such as sofas, large console TV's, refrigerators, tires, etc. at no additional charge. Here is what is offered to every household currently:
| Jurisdiction |
Bulky Waste Programs |
| Yolo County |
2 Vouchers Annually + Senior/Disabled Pickup |
| City of Davis |
1 Voucher Annually |
| City of West Sac |
2 Curbside Pickups Annually |
| City of Winters |
1 Voucher Annually |
| City of Woodland |
1 Voucher Annually |
|
| IWM staff has partnered with the City of Davis, West Sacramento, Winters and Woodland, as well as Waste Management, Inc. and Recology Davis, to provide the services associated with the bulky waste voucher programs. IWM also works directly with the Public Works Roads Division on cleanup efforts throughout the county and with the District Attorney's Office on joint grant applications. |