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L.A. Spends $1 Million To Rid Streets Of Garbage And Abandoned Couches
(Photo by Dmitry Kalinovsky via Shutterstock)
The dirty mattresses spray-painted with the words "bed bugs," the springs jumping out of dingy couches, and strewn garbage on the streets might sound familiar. L.A. officials have been listening to the community regarding the extreme trash problem in Councilman Gil Cedillo's 1st District area. Over the past few weeks, a $1 million clean-up effort has been focused on areas including Lincoln Heights, Westlake, Mount Washington, and Pico-Union, according to Reuters.
These low-income neighborhoods have a high turnover rate in home rentals and do the dash and ditch with their trash when they move.Some alleys and sidewalks are covered in so much rubbish that it can pile up to 10-feet high.
The Los Angeles Times reported:
"It's like weeds," said Jose "Pepe" Garcia, superintendent with the Bureau of Sanitation. "You clear up one alley one day, and the next week—sometimes the next day—it's back to how it was."
Instead of picking up trash on a weekly basis, garbage is now attacked five days a week. Sanitation workers and the Los Angeles Conservative Corps have banded together to clean up the city, and more than 250 bags have been collected.
Cedillo hopes that long-time residents will pitch in to help keep their city clean, something that may have seemed insurmountable before this initiative, and keep the momentum going strong.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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