Illegal dumping in Chinatown costing City of Salinas
The City of Salinas had another clean-up sweep Wednesday in Chinatown. They estimate about 10 tons of stuff was removed. A lot of it are big items including furniture. So how does it get there?
Businesses, churches and residents are bringing stuff down and dropping it off in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, it’s making for a greater mess and greater expense each month for the city to clean up. KION’s Sophia Miraglio learns that while some believe they are helping, others are treating Chinatown like a landfill. No matter the reason, it is best not to bring items down.
“They come dump garbage, and they make us feel like dirty people. They think ‘why don’t we dump our garbage there, they’ll pick it up for us.’ And that’s not right,” said Chinatown Resident Diana Blaylock.
“Donations that were left on the sidewalk Saturday night are now a pile of wet clothes in Chinatown. There are ways to donate and ways to not donate. Dumping your surplus items in Chinatown is not the answer. Sure enough it’s going to wind up in the Monterey Day,” said Public Works Assistant Director Don Reynolds.
Every Chinatown sweep costs between $5,000-$8,000. If you’re dumping items down there then the City has to spend more money cleaning it up. In addition to clearing everything out, the City also sprayed the sidewalks and streets with a chlorine/bleach mixture on Wednesday in order to stop the spread of Hepatitis A.
