West Palm Beach wants more people to report illegal dumping

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida. Two years after the city of West Palm Beach launched “Operation Clean Streets” to stop illegal garbage dumping, this line hasn’t gotten much of a response.

Josh McDermott, the city’s public works director, said about 38% of illegal landfills are construction and demolition waste.

Often, according to McDermott, this is done by unlicensed people who dump their garbage in a secluded alley. He said the city spent about $1.3 million on cleanup in 2022.

As part of Operation Clean Streets, the city will pay whistleblowers $500 each if the information leads to a person’s arrest. The tipster must provide a photo or video to the police, as well as his name and contact number in order to receive the award. Whistleblowers can get $100 if their tip leads to the perpetrator getting a link.

McDermott said only two people have received the $500 incentive in the past two years.

Ardis Jackson, Solid Waste Enforcement Specialist, says spreading the word and teaching people how to report advice is critical. He said many people are reluctant to report illegal dumping because they live in communities where it occurs and do not want to be hit back. He also said that he saw more instances of furniture being thrown away illegally, likely due to evictions.

City officials said they have installed about 20 surveillance cameras throughout the city to catch illegal dump trucks. License plate readers will soon appear in the city to hunt down the culprits.

“We’re going to be using these license plate readers to deploy in some of our hotspots so we can use them alongside our cameras,” McDermott said.

Since October 2019, city officials have said 10 people have been arrested as a result of Operation Clean Streets. More than 170,000 pounds of illegal landfills have been removed.

To report illegal dumping, call 911. Hotline: 561-822-2222.