People Behaving Badly: Dumping Paint

Here in San Francisco, KRON4, the local TV station has a recurring item: People Behaving Badly with Stanley Roberts. It is a view how people in the city of San Francisco break the law, or just don't think about the consequences of their actions. All in all, people behaving badly towards the city, the environment and the people who live around them.

People Behaving Badly

Littering is a big problem in and around San Francisco. If you drive on the highways around the City, you see plastic bags with building material and waste everywhere. Dumped by contractors who don't want to pay the fees for bringing the waste to the official dumping place. Especially paints, and other hazardous materials can be a great risk for the environment if these get into the water.

Today I was driving on Junipero Serra Boulevard in San Francisco, when I a large number of old paint buckets just dumped next to the road. This would be one of those items for Stanley to go after, and showcase what would happen if these paint buckets would split open, or taken by little kids.

People Behaving Badly in San Francisco dumping buckets of paint next to the road



These old paint buckets don't belong next to the road, these should be taken care of at a recycle centre and the owner should have paid for the recycling. This is just what Stanley is reporting on: People Behaving Badly dumping old paint next to the road...

From Contra-Costa.Ca.US website:

What is the County currently doing about Illegal Dumping

Sites used for illegal dumping vary but may include abandoned industrial, residential, or commercial buildings; vacant lots on public or private property; and infrequently used alleys or roadways. Because of their accessibility and poor lighting, areas along rural roads and railways are particularly vulnerable. Illegal dumping can occur at any time of day but is more common at night or in the early morning hours during warmer months.  If not addressed illegal dumps often attract more waste, potentially hazardous wastes such as asbestos, household chemicals and paints, automotive fluids, and commercial or industrial wastes.

Offenders can include: construction, demolition, remodeling, roofing, or landscaping contractors, general hauling contractors, operators of junkyards, automobile repair or tire shops, scrap collectors, local residents and "do-it-yourselfers".  A resident may dump wastes that did not get picked up by local waste haulers, such as bulky items, carpeting, or household hazardous wastes.  Dump sites serve as magnets for additional dumping and other criminal activities.  In many cases, illegal dumpers are breaking other laws relating to vehicle licensing, insurance, drug possession or theft.

The costs to local government and industry associated with continuous clearing of illegally dumped wastes are significant.  In recent years the County has spent up to one million dollars per year on cleanup, hauling, and disposal associated with illegal dumping. Without adequate revenue, the funding available to establish and maintain effective illegal dumping prevention programs is limited. These costs may be passed along to residents in the form of higher service fees or property taxes.

For detailed information regarding activities the County has undertaken to combat illegal dumping, please see the below Illegal Dumping Task Force Report to the Board of Supervisors and related attachments.