‘Philly ain’t playing’: City steps up anti-dumping enforcement efforts

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Starting Nov. 3, a task force of 40 city employees will fan out across Philadelphia’s streets, vacant lots and underpasses, searching for discarded tires, drywall and other debris.

They’ll be issuing violations that could cost people who illegally dump waste tens of thousands of dollars.

“Four tires, 20 grand,” said Mayor Cherelle Parker. “Philly ain’t playing.”

Officials from departments ranging from Parks and Recreation to the Law Department gathered at the vacant Logan Triangle, where two people accused of illegal dumping were arrested last week, to announce a new task force to crack down on illegal dumping. The task force will ramp up enforcement by using a suite of laws that have been passed in recent years.

New task force means more officers issuing violations

The 40 task force members are not new positions. They’re existing city staffers, including SWEEP officers and park rangers, who were previously only able to issue smaller fines for violations such as placing trash at the curb early or littering, said Carlton Williams, director of Philadelphia’s Office of Clean and Green Initiatives.

Starting next month, these task force members will issue notices of violation that can result in fines of up to $5,000 per illegally dumped item when a vehicle is used in the dumping, and up to $2,000 per item when a person dumps on foot.

“People used to get a ticket maybe worth $300 or maybe worth up to $500,” Williams said. “For a contractor, that’s just the cost of doing business in the city — if they get caught.”

The current penalty structure, where fines of up to $5,000 per item can mount quickly, was the result of legislation passed in 2022 that defined each item dumped illegally as a separate offense and extended responsibility to the people who hire illegal dumpers — not just the dumpers themselves. The city can also recoup cleanup costs.

This year alone, the city has obtained judgments against dumpers worth over $3 million in fines, plus $62,000 in cleanup costs, said City Solicitor Renee Garcia. The city has collected tens of thousands of dollars from these fines so far.

“Today is the start of the end to illegal dumping in our city,” Williams said.

The PPA can now tow illegal dumpers’ vehicles

A law Parker signed in June makes it a violation to park a vehicle for the purpose of illegal dumping.

This means the Philadelphia Parking Authority can join the fight against dumping, officials said Thursday.

“We all know that’s how the trash is getting from point A to B. It’s either a car, a dump truck,” said Richard Lazer, the PPA’s executive director. “We have a tow truck for any size vehicle. So if you’re caught using a vehicle to illegally dump trash, we will impound that vehicle.”

More than 400 dumping surveillance cameras

The city’s Department of Sanitation currently runs a network of over 400 surveillance cameras dedicated to catching illegal dumpers — roughly double the number it had in 2023. That’s in addition to the surveillance cameras operated by the police department.

Residents have complained that these cameras are ineffective, because too few city employees are assigned to watch them. In 2023, the city had just five employees combing through footage. Now, that force has grown to 12 people, Williams said, and the city is exploring a possible pilot project to use artificial intelligence to monitor the footage.