Have a question about Philly’s neighborhoods or the systems that shape them? PlanPhilly reporters want to hear from you! Ask us a question or send us a story idea you think we should cover.

Philadelphia’s strategy to stop people from illegally dumping tires, mattresses and construction debris on sidewalks and vacant lots relies on hitting dumpers with heavy fines.

North10, a nonprofit in North Philadelphia, is trying a different, less-punitive approach: help would-be dumpers afford to dispose of their waste legally.

Starting Monday, the organization will offer vouchers for free disposal of up to 2,000 pounds of waste at Richard S. Burns & Company, a recycling and material recovery center in North Philadelphia.

“It’s a simple idea, but so innovative,” said Josh Klaris, executive director of North10. “Just connect the dots between wanting to clean up and making sure that it meets the economic needs of our businesses and our neighbors.”

The vouchers are part of North10’s new antidumping initiative, which received grant funding from the William Penn Foundation. The nonprofit aims to end illegal dumping at five hotspots in Hunting Park and East Tioga through a combination of deterrence, education and incentives.

Antidumping advocates have identified the minimum fees at private disposal centers as one factor pushing small contractors to dump illegally. They have called on the city to open its free sanitation convenience centers to small commercial haulers and to construction waste, which is currently banned from the centers but makes up a large portion of the material illegally dumped.

North10’s vouchers will be available through neighborhood ambassadors living near each dumping hotspot and through QR codes posted at each hotspot, which will connect would-be dumpers with the ambassadors.

North10 plans to install motion-activated lights, cameras and public trash receptacles at the dumping hotspots. The nonprofit also plans to host community meetings and partner with local schools to educate students about dumping.

Al Gillyard said he’s tired of seeing his Hunting Park-East Tioga neighborhood treated like a dumping ground. Gillyard manages North10’s Neighborhood Promise Program, a team that cleans up and maintains over 100 vacant lots.

“Illegal dumping is not just an eyesore, it’s a public health risk in our environment,” Gillyard said. “It shows a lack of respect for everyone that lives in this community, which I currently reside in.”

Gillyard’s team has found everything from boats to refrigerators left on quiet, out-of-the-way blocks. He said some contractors doing house cleanouts use illegal dumping as a way to cut costs, rather than bringing big items to a facility like Burns.

“They’ll take them to the back blocks and dump and pocket the money that they’re supposed to use for [disposal],” he said.

The voucher program gives would-be dumpers an alternative, said Carlton Williams, director of the city’s Office of Clean and Green Initiatives.

“To provide a voucher to allow someone who may be struggling to pay dump fees to come to a location like Burns is extremely important, because that’s an incentive for them not to throw trash and dumping in our parks and our recreation centers,” Williams said.