Unlawful dumping turns city crew into garbage collectors

By KEVIN COURTNEY, Register Staff Writer

Jeff Folks’ Public Works crew weren’t hired to be garbage men, but it turns out that’s how they spend their time.

About once a day, these street maintenance workers are diverted from their regular duties to pick up ratty couches, broken TVs and worn-out microwaves dumped on Napa streets.

Folks wouldn’t put it so bluntly, but some people are pigs.

When they move, they push their unwanted junk to the curb and hightail it out of town.

When a sofa wears out or a car battery dies, they lighten their load on a dark, dead-end street.

“The word is out. If you put something on the street, the city will pick up,” said Steve Barragan, a public works worker.

Maybe it’s the state of the economy or the rise in home foreclosures, but the number of illegal garbage dumps is growing, said Jane Thomson, the city’s code enforcement officer.

If the trash is on private property, it’s on Thomson’s turf. It’s her job to find the property owner responsible for cleanup. If it’s on the public right of way, then Folks’ crew handles the job.

In three months, his crew has picked up 30 washers and dryers, Folks said. After the holidays, at least 100 Christmas trees were dumped along city streets.

Some dumps are in-your-face blatant, Folks said. Twice in the last month, someone has dumped a truckload of construction debris on the top floor of the Second Street parking garage.

When a family lost its home to the bank, they apparently left town with only the clothes on their backs, Thomson said. “Their solution to cleaning out the house was to throw it all in the street,” she said.

Fearful of what he would find, Barragan recalled recovering a gunny sack with an apparent body inside. Someone had disposed of a dog, he said.

Folks recently hauled a moldy couch to the city’s Corporation Yard. When workers dug under the cushions, they found a .22-caliber handgun. An earlier couch yielded 52 cents.

These cleanups divert city workers from their regular duties. This means less maintenance for city streets, said Kevin Miller, the city’s materials diversion administrator. The public ends up paying for the thoughtless acts of others, he said.

City officials are asking the public to report illegal dumps. A license plate can help the city track down the perpetrator. A first-time offense can come with a $100 fine, Thomson said. Fines rise with repeat offenses.

Some people are too lazy to do the right thing, Miller said. Others are poor and don’t know of low-cost options. And then there are those who are downright malicious, he said.

Electronics and hazardous waste can be disposed of for free at Napa Recycling and Waste Services facilities near the Napa County Airport, Miller said. Items in good condition can be donated to Goodwill or other charities. For $30, the garbage company will remove up to four bulky items from your curb.

A garbage and recycling insert in the Yellow Pages of the AT&T phone book explains all this in detail, Miller said. More information can be found at www.naparecycling.com

Questions can be answered in English and Spanish by calling 257-9292.

What about people who put unwanted objects on the curb with a “free” sign?

Don’t put them on the public right of way, Thomson said. Pull the item back onto your yard. And if it’s not gone in a day, maybe that’s a signal to find another disposal method, she said.

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