PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — The City of Philadelphia is now home to a new task force dedicated to combating illegal dumping.
Mayor Cherelle Parker announced the formation of the “One Philly, A United City Illegal Dumping Task Force” on Thursday in Logan.
Parker says this is a key component of her vision for a safer, cleaner and greener Philadelphia. “This is Philly’s fight against illegal dumping, and together we are going to win.”
The task force will target one of the city’s most persistent quality-of-life issues impacting neighbors.
The new unit will follow a multi-pronged approach, using more than 400 surveillance cameras, rapid response cleanup and strict enforcement.
“We’re going to start making people pay for the amount of damage they caused in our communities by coming out and illegally dumping in our city,” said Carlton Williams with the Office of Clean and Green Initiatives.
People who illegally dump without a vehicle must pay $2,000 per item, and those with a vehicle will owe $5,000 per item. Violators will also face criminal and civil prosecution.
“We’re going to hit you where it hurts — in the pocketbook — when you get caught,” Parker said.
Local leaders say in 2024, the sanitation department spent $1.6 million to clean up illegally dumped items.
“Each year, we spend millions and millions of dollars that we could be spending on other important initiatives like playgrounds and parks. We have to invest in cleaning up after people. And we need to put an end to that immediately,” said Williams.
The new task force will officially launch on November 3.
“So this year, we have filed 17 new cases. We have obtained judgments in the amount of $3.7 million in fines, another $62,000 in cleanup costs. We’re enforcing these judgments and we’ve brought in tens of thousands of dollars already,” said Williams.
City leaders encourage residents to call 911 if they see illegal dumping.
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