Santa Clara County is reminding residents about a six-month-old website where people can report illegal dumping.
The site, www.cleanupscc.org, was launched last November using a $2 million grant from CalRecycle, the state agency that oversees waste management and recycling.
Since its inception, citizen reports to the site have resulted in 200 cleanups that collected 30 tons of solid waste, 200 pounds of recyclable material, 52 tires, 20 mattresses, 613 bulky items like furniture and appliances and 344 pounds of electronic waste, according to county officials.
“Keeping our community clean is a collective effort, and now, we’re very excited to let the public know that they have a way to report spots anywhere in the county that have become magnets for trash and dumping,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez.
The program is managed by the county’s Consumer and Environmental Protection Agency and directs San Jose Conservation Corps crews to trash-pile cleanup sites four days a week, but is not used to clear homeless encampments, according to county officials.
Before the website launched, illegal dumping sites were identified by various local government agencies or by Conservation Corps crews out in the field.
The program will end in April 2024 and so far has spent about 28 percent of its budget, county officials said in a news release.
“Litter on the ground harms the environment and impacts public health — and it hurts community morale,” said state Sen. Dave Cortese, D-San Jose, who helped secure funding for the program.