More than half of the trash illegally dumped on Oakland streets comes from local households, not the homeless, a new report from the Public Works Department shows.

Like the Oakland Tribune Facebook page for more conversation and news coverage from Oakland and beyond.

Oakland has been fighting illegal dumping for years, but stepped up a city-wide crackdown recently as the problem appears to be growing.

“The level of illegal dumping is totally out of control and way beyond unacceptable,” Councilmember at large Rebecca Kaplan said in a phone interview.

The report, presented to the Public Works Committee at its Sept. 12 meeting, included a survey of illegal dumping piles done by an outside environmental science and planning firm, as well as an update on the city’s efforts to combat illegal dumping.

The report highlighted a few of the committee’s concerns and emphasized the severity of the issue, Kaplan said.

The survey, carried out by Environmental Science Associates over three weeks in March, looked at 75 illegal dumping piles throughout the city. The survey found that more than 55 percent of the piles included items dumped from “residential sources.” The piles included packaging, food, clothing, furniture and small appliances. The survey found that 3 percent of the dump piles contained “homeless-related” materials.

Get top headlines in your inbox every afternoon.

Sign up for the free PM Report newsletter.

“It shows that demonizing homeless people is not going to solve the problem,” Kaplan said.

The survey also looked at where the illegally dumped piles were from and found that “nominal amounts” of trash came from Berkeley, Emeryville, San Leandro and Hayward. However, most of the materials that could be traced came from Oakland.

Environmental Science Associates recommended a “long-term media campaign focused on resetting community norms” to fight the problem.

“The campaign would be designed to change the current social practice of putting excess garbage in the right of way and simply hoping it will disappear,” the report said.

The report also highlighted the need to “increase use of the bulky pickup program.” The program, which is part of the city’s zero waste initiative started in 2015, offers one free bulky waste pickup each year for all Oakland residents.

Before July 1, 2015, the service was only available to houses and did not include apartments. The program is part of a contract between the city and Waste Management.

In 2016, Waste Management made 1,057 bulky waste pickups from apartment and condo buildings, totally 1,321 tons of material.

“Increasing participation in the multifamily bulky waste collection program is a high priority,” the report said.

Public Works plans to reach out to apartment tenants, managers and owners over the next year in various ways to inform them of the program. Through the current old system, tenants had to go through their landlords to schedule a pickup. Landlords now have the option of allowing their tenants to schedule pickups on their own.

Another issue brought up at the committee meeting was the system in which illegal dumping piles are dealt with. Cleanup crews currently respond only to individual calls for piles. Kaplan said that results in piles being left behind even if a pickup crew drives right past it or deals with a pile nearby.

“Illegal dumping piles often sit for quite some time,” Kaplan said. “One, it’s gross. And two, it attracts more dumping. When people see there’s illegal dumping somewhere, they say, ‘Oh, we can dump here,’ and it rots and can cause dangers to public health.”

Public works administrators agreed to consider assigning crews to areas where dumping is a problem, rather than assigning them to specific dump piles.

Kaplan said enforcement of illegal dumping needs to be strengthened.

“People need to understand that it’s not OK,” Kaplan said. “We can fine people, and I would encourage people who see illegal dumping to take a picture or write down the license plate and report it to the city.”

Kaplan said city attorneys have started to bring claims against illegal dumpers.

Like our Facebook page for more conversation and news coverage from the East Bay and beyond.

“Don’t dump on Oakland,” Kaplan said. “It’s really obnoxious, illegal and wrongful behavior, and people need to cut it out.”