Foreclosures Leading to Lucrative Business in Dumping Trash

Posted on April 27, 2009
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Foreclosures are leading to a mushrooming of lucrative shady business of dumping trash. The best sites, apart from rail tracks, are vacant repossessed houses hanging around in a state of limbo.

The problem is particularly acute in East Oakland. Two years ago the city cracked down on the illegal dumpers. Waste Management is the official agency that handles this work. But foreclosure evictees are in no mood to abide by the rules.

Dannette Lambert of ACORN said that private dumpers are in great demand as more and more people want to quickly get rid of their personal goods. These end up littering the streets as the private dumpers do not want to pay the required fees for dumping.

ACORN organized a demonstration demanding clean-up at Brookfield Senior Center in March. Mary Sanders was one of the participants. She said, “It’s getting worse. (The City) cleans up one day and … one or two days later there’s another pile of stuff. Not just bags of trash … but RV’s, trailers. I’ve seen a bus.” Mary feels people come from outside to dump the rubbish in this locality. She said, “They don’t go up to the hills or San Leandro to dump. They go to East Oakland to dump because we’re an older community. A lot of seniors have been living here for years and years.”

Lately the locals like Sanders have stepped up their vigilance and this has led to a difference. At least they don’t dump in front of their houses as they know there are observers. Cameras and signs have been put up. Fines are being imposed. Ultimately the community members will have to be more alert. But what if they too fall a victim to foreclosures?

The business circles could put more pressure on the city authorities to take more action. The piles of trash and fetid pools are raising questions of health and sanitation.

The problem has become so grave that many are shifting their business sites. Allday Pallets is planning to shift to Modesto. Fernando Garcia is a truck driver with Allday and says it is becoming impossible to park the truck outside the office. The city responds to his call but again after two days the scene becomes the same. These dumpers operate generally after dark.

It is not always the outsiders who are to be blamed – it is the insiders also. The conditions of abandoned houses become worse when it becomes a dumping sit.

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