Glendale’s alleys have become a favorite place for people to dump their garbage, and the city will soon launch a pilot program aimed at stopping the problem.
Illegal dumping costs Glendale about $45,000 a year. The city collects bulk items every month. But garbage, furniture and landscaping materials routinely show up in alleys, and that’s why gates will soon be installed on two backstreets in the Ocotillo District.
“My presumption is a lot of these folks are contractors, be it landscape contractors or remodeling contractors, and therefore they probably produce quite a bit of landscaping and remodeling debris almost on a daily, weekly basis,” said Public Works Director Jack Friedline.
Residents and utility companies will still have access to the alleys.
“Some of the more unscrupulous folks, rather than drive to a landfill and pay for proper disposal, would run through an alley, dump their load quickly and move on,” Friedline said.
The gates should be up by the end of fall, Friedline said. If the program is successful, money will be requested from next year’s budget to add more throughout the city.
