Oakland’s Three-Year Strategy to Reduce Illegal Dumping

Published on October 02, 2026

MEMORANDUM 

TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council  

SUBJECT: Oakland’s Three-Year Strategy to Reduce Illegal Dumping  

FROM: Liam Garland, Director, Public Works 

DATE: September 4, 2026  

City Administrator Approval Date: September 8, 2026  

INFORMATION 

This memorandum provides information regarding the City of Oakland’s illegal dumping strategy for the next three years (FY 2026/2027 through FY 2028/2029).  

Background 

Illegal dumping is not simply a sanitation issue—it is one of the most visible quality-of-life challenges in the City of Oakland (City). It affects neighborhood conditions, public health, economic vitality, environmental quality, and public confidence in government.  With a series of legislative actions between April and June 2026 aimed at reducing dumping, the Mayor and City Council City set a new course with a newly funded three-year strategy.  

This strategy aims to create cleaner, healthier neighborhoods by aligning the City’s policies and resources, community stewardship, and philanthropic support into coordinated actions focused on measurable results. Illegal dumping does not affect all neighborhoods equally. Some Oakland neighborhoods experience a disproportionate share of dumping activity and its associated impacts. This strategy is intended to improve conditions citywide while directing additional attention and resources toward neighborhoods experiencing the highest burdens. Within these heavily impacted neighborhoods, the City will prioritize recurring illegal dumping hotspots where dumping is most persistent and concentrated, with the goal of reducing both the number of hotspots and the frequency of dumping at the hotspots that remain. 

Strategy 

Oakland's long-term strategy is not simply to clean up more illegal dumping. Instead, the City aims to reduce the amount of illegally dumped material entering the public right-of-way, reduce the number of chronic illegal dumping hotspots across Oakland, and quickly remove the material that remains. Taken together, this work will improve civic pride and Oaklanders’ quality of life.  

The data-driven strategy is built on a simple premise: by reducing illegal dumping through deterrence, prevention, and behavior change, existing cleanup resources can more effectively address the material that remains. As the overall volume of dumped material declines, cleanup crews can respond more quickly, the number of hotspots can decline, and neighborhood cleanliness can be sustained. 

For this reason, the City will front-load investments in enforcement and education the first two years of the strategy. These investments are intended to reduce the volume of dumping entering the system. This approach creates a reinforcing cycle: less dumping leads to faster cleanup, faster cleanup improves neighborhood conditions, and improved neighborhood conditions help discourage future dumping. 

More Accountability → Less Dumping → Fewer Hotspots → Faster Cleanup → Cleaner Neighborhoods 

The strategy acknowledges the inequities that can result from complaint-driven systems. Neighborhoods identified in our City’s equity framework as equity priority neighborhoods are likely utilizing the City’s 311 service to report dumping less frequently than other neighborhoods. Accordingly, this new strategy uses proactive approaches, including aerial imagery, hotspot analysis, and data-driven deployment strategies, to ensure resources are equitably directed toward locations experiencing the greatest dumping impacts. 

The approach also acknowledges that illegal dumping is driven by a combination of structural, economic, and behavioral factors. These include the cost of legal disposal, lack of awareness of available services, low enforcement, commercial non-compliance with trash service requirements, and other barriers that make proper disposal more difficult. Because no single factor fully explains illegal dumping, no single solution will eliminate it. The City’s approach therefore combines eradication, enforcement, and education to address multiple contributing factors. 

Enforcement 

The City will substantially increase enforcement activity during the first two years of this strategy, with the goal of increasing accountability and deterring future dumping. The goal of enforcement is to improve neighborhood conditions while ensuring accountability is applied fairly and effectively. 

This work focuses on investigations, camera surveillance, citation processing, collecting unpaid citations, and targeted efforts against repeat violators and significant dumping activity. This includes increasing the number of citations issued by OPW’s Environmental Enforcement Officers (EEOs), improving citation collections, and initiating more OPD-led investigations of repeat and significant violators. This work also builds on City Council’s actions in May 2026 to significantly increase citation amounts and hold dumpers accountable, especially vehicle owners whose vehicles are involved in dumping activity, or those who are transporting waste in a vehicle with an obscured or missing license plate. 

While no single enforcement level guarantees behavior change, increasing the likelihood that violators are identified and held accountable is expected to reduce repeat dumping and discourage future violations. Given approximately 30,000 service requests or work orders annually for dumping, OPW seeks to issue approximately 1,500 citations annually, roughly equivalent to 5% of reported dumping incidents. Increasing enforcement to approximately 5% of dumping incidents will test whether this level of greater accountability deters repeat violators and reduces dumping overall.  

These are the primary actions for enforcement: 

  • Expanding the current camera network from 30+ to 80+ cameras, focused on the City's highest-priority hotspots, with cameras redeployed as dumping at a given hotspot is successfully reduced and new hotspots emerge 
  • Exploring the use of AI-assisted footage review to increase its efficiency 
  • OPD initiating investigations based on egregious incidents including a significant volume of material or hazardous waste, as shown in camera footage or by other investigatory means 
  • Expanding the use of community footage, in which members of the public submit photos or video of illegal dumping activity to the City, to identify violators and issue citations 
  • Improving administrative investigation, citation, and collection processes by adopting new handheld devices that are part of an automated system to store and collect evidence, issue citations, and initiate collections where citations are not paid 
  • Implementing the new Illegal Dumping Enforcement Ordinance, including higher penalties 
  • Advocating for state-law changes such as SB 1218 to permit vehicle immobilization or other consequences for those who don’t pay their illegal dumping citations 
  • Participating in regional and statewide efforts to create additional registry and/or licensing requirements for commercial junk haulers to better identify those working illegally and more likely to dump 

OPW’s enforcement efforts will be prioritized toward equity priority neighborhoods experiencing the greatest impacts. Where enforcement is against low-income residents who are not repeat violators, the City will explore pathways for those offenders to be offered community service in lieu of paying their citation.  

Education 

Education focuses on preventing dumping before it occurs through outreach, awareness campaigns, behavior change marketing, community partnerships, and promotion of legal disposal options available at no additional cost. 

Education investments will include targeted outreach in neighborhoods disproportionately affected by illegal dumping and chronic hotspots. Services will focus on helping residents, businesses, and property owners understand and gain access to available services and legal disposal options, especially no-cost bulky drop offs and pickups. Over the last several years, the City has averaged nearly 4,000 curbside pickups and Davis Street dropoffs for multi-family residences, and roughly 28,000 pickups and dropoffs for single-family residences. Between 9-21% of the total residences are using these no-cost bulky pickups or drop offs. Despite the availability of no-cost bulky pickup and drop-off services, utilization remains relatively low, particularly among multifamily residents who have only been able to self-schedule appointments since 2021. The strategy therefore focuses initially on increasing awareness of and utilization of these existing services, followed by a broader public education and behavior-change campaign. 

These are the primary education actions: 

  • Deploying outreach and education experts to multifamily properties in high-dumping areas to research and understand the low utilization rate and more effectively promote bulky pickups/drop-offs 
  • Partnering with Keep Oakland Beautiful on bulky services communications 
  • Reinstating recurring, city-hosted Bulky Block Parties to offer an additional free option for disposal of bulky household items as well as provide an opportunity for targeted outreach to event attendees to promote other free disposal options and learn about barriers to utilizing existing services 
  • Developing citywide illegal dumping communications and behavior-change effort led by the Mayor’s office that focuses on bulky pickup, legal disposal options, illegal dumping penalties, etc., with baseline measures to evaluate effectiveness   
  • Improving Waste Management’s no-cost disposal options, including more convenient ways to schedule a bulky pick-up or to dispose of waste that can’t fit in existing garbage containers. 

Eradication

Eradication focuses on removing illegally dumped material quickly, efficiently, and equitably. Oakland’s Keep Oakland Clean and Beautiful (KOCB) and its 50 staff remove roughly 10,000 tons of illegally dumped material annually.  New investments in eradication include aerial imagery, cleanup equipment, proactive cleanup operations, hotspot management, and restarting Bulky Block Parties. 

A core objective is reducing the amount of time dumped material remains visible while systematically reducing the number of chronic illegal dumping hotspots through proactive cleanup, monitoring, and prevention. 

These are the primary actions supporting faster eradication and reduced dumped material: 

  • Renting two lightning loaders to assist in eradication of large dumping piles 
  • Increasing frequency of garbage service at 30+ of the City’s encampments 
  • Amending the municipal code to improve collection on commercial accounts where the City has signed up the account after the business failed to obtain garbage service or lacked sufficient garbage service. 
  • Improving in-service KOCB vehicles and equipment through more timely vehicle replacements and the hire of a new heavy-duty mechanic 
  • Continuing proactive and grant-funded abatement in hard-hit corridors, including the Caltrans delegated maintenance agreement and CalRecycle grant enabling additional cleanings and beautification 
  • Advancing innovative strategies to reduce the amount of material ending up on Oakland’s streets and sidewalks by: 
    • implementing aerial imagery to proactively detect and report dumping locations and emerging hotspots and correctly close work orders for cleaned areas 
    • testing whether upsizing garbage containers at no cost reduces illegal dumping 
    • piloting community-driven beautification efforts designed to deter future dumping at hotspot locations  

Taken together, these efforts are intended to enable quicker, more efficient cleanup of the material that remains after enforcement, education, and other prevention strategies reduce the overall volume of illegal dumping.  

Funding the Three-Year Strategy 

Currently, the City spends approximately $24.5 million annually (or $75M over three years) toward baseline illegal dumping response, cleanup, enforcement, street sweeping, and related activities.  

In May 2026, City Council completed a one-time infusion of $1.1M into an illegal dumping expenditure plan that advances this strategy. In June 2026, the Mayor and Council adopted a budget that provided more one-time infusions: $1M for more proactive cleanups, unfreezing an EEO position, adding $900,000 for new vehicles for cleanup crews, and increasing dumping abatement in our parks.  

The City’s investments are significant, as are the community’s efforts. OPW tracks the level of volunteer activities to clean and green Oakland’s public spaces. Over the past several years, volunteers have contributed approximately 116,000 hours annually in various cleanups, representing an estimated value of approximately $2.9 million per year (or $9.3M when escalated over three years). 

Finally, the Crankstart Foundation, a philanthropic foundation, announced a $9.275M investment to help the City implement this strategy. This includes investments in enforcement via illegal dumping camera expansion and robust investigations, aerial imagery, expanded public education, a garbage container upsizing pilot, and an independent evaluation and performance measurement.  

Taken together, the City’s existing investments, new City funding, state grants, community contributions, and Crankstart Foundation support represent approximately $90M in resources over the next three years. This work will improve equity outcomes by reducing reliance on complaint-driven systems, improve proactive service delivery, and ensure resources are directed to neighborhoods experiencing the greatest dumping burdens. 

Community Engagement 

The City has worked closely with the Illegal Dumping Local Organizing Committee (IDLOC), comprised of community-based organizations Faith in Action and Block by Block, and other community members, who advocated for several years for stronger City action to respond to the illegal dumping challenge. In 2026, the IDLOC hosted several large-scale public meetings and will continue to hold public accountability meetings to focus on this challenge for the foreseeable future.  

Public Works is also sharing this strategy with residents, businesses, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders in the neighborhoods most impacted by illegal dumping. This engagement will help refine implementation, identify barriers to legal disposal, and ensure future program investments reflect community priorities.  

Tracking Performance

The City's largest new investments are concentrated in enforcement, education, and eradication. The enforcement and education investments are intentionally front-loaded because reducing the volume of illegal dumping entering the system is the most effective long-term strategy for improving neighborhoods’ cleanliness and health.  

To know whether this strategy is making progress, Public Works will launch a public performance dashboard in September 2026 that shows much of the following data for the current fiscal year, typically showing monthly data, and where available, comparison to prior fiscal years. 

Enforcement 

Increase annual citations from approximately 300 last fiscal year to 750 this fiscal year, doubling again next fiscal year from 750 to 1,500. At the same time, increase the number of citations successfully collected from approximately 55 annually to 500 annually. 

  • monthly number of citations issued, and the amount cited
  • monthly number of submissions of private camera footage for enforcement
  • monthly citation amount collected and the outstanding, uncollected amount by fiscal year
  • monthly number of referrals to OPD for investigations
  • annual number of dumping referrals from OPD to the District Attorney for criminal prosecution 
Eradication 

Remove illegally dumped material more quickly while maintaining the capacity to collect approximately 10,000 tons annually. 

  • monthly tonnage collected on the City’s streets and sidewalks 
  • monthly number of service requests 
  • monthly number of work orders 
  • monthly number of garbage cleanups at the City’s encampments 
  • monthly square miles of aerial imagery completed 
  • monthly time-to-closure for illegal dumping work orders generally, and in targeted neighborhoods, where aerial imagery is deployed 
Education

Increase bulky waste pickup utilization by 20% in targeted neighborhoods. 

  • monthly utilization rate of free bulky pickup/drop-off service broken out by single family residents and multifamily residents 
  • number of social media posts, media coverage, placements, and City dumping webpage hits related to education, eradication, and enforcement efforts 

These measures will show whether the City is implementing the strategy as intended and provide early indications of whether the strategy is reducing illegal dumping.  

The City is also developing a set of higher-level performance measures to show whether the strategy is working, i.e., Oaklanders experience cleaner streets and sidewalks. These measures include: 

  • Reduce chronic hotspots: Reduce the number of locations classified as chronic illegal dumping hotspots by at least 20 percent over three years, while reducing the frequency of dumping at the hotspots that remain. 
  • Reduce illegal dumping: Use semi-annual aerial imagery to measure the total cubic yards of illegally dumped material in Oakland's targeted hotspot neighborhoods, with the goals of: 
    • Reducing the overall volume of illegally dumped material by 20%; 
    • Reducing the number of illegal dumping incidents by 20%; and 
    • Reducing the amount of time dumped material remains in the public right-of-way by 20%. 
  • Improve public perception: Improve annual resident survey results:
  • By reducing agreement with the statement, "Oakland needs to do more to crack down on illegal dumping," from 94% in 2025 to 60% in 2028; and
  • By reducing agreement with the statement, "Illegal dumping is a serious or extremely serious problem in Oakland," from 78% in 2025 to 50% in 2028.
  • By increasing agreement with the statement, “[The illegal dumping problem] is getting much or somewhat better in the last few months,” from 22% in 2025 to 50% in 2028. 

Taken together, these measures—and the trends over time—will help determine whether the City's strategy is achieving its intended outcomes. 

Timeline 

The three-year strategy begins by scaling enforcement, education, technology, and proactive cleanup, followed by testing and expanding prevention strategies and ultimately integrating successful approaches into ongoing City operations.  

2026: Technology Deployment, Enforcement Scaling, and Public Education Ramp Up (September – December 2026) 

  • establish baseline methodology and GIS inventory of chronic hotspots  
  • launch aerial imagery (Aerbits)  
  • expand hotspot cameras  
  • increase citations  
  • increase frequency of garbage service to encampments 
  • modernize citation processing and collections, in part to improve collection rate 
  • test various public education messages to increase utilization of no-cost bulky pickups/drop offs 
  • establish performance dashboards  
  • initiate independent design and evaluation, including asking why dumpers dump and conducting a root cause analysis of dumping 
  • identify priority neighborhood baselines  
  • engage the community on this three-year strategy and share dashboards 

2027: Prevention Pilot and Behavior Shift (January – December 2027) 

  • expand aerial imagery deployment  
  • strengthen hotspot management and reduce hotspots  
  • design and implement upsized garbage container pilot  
  • increase EEO investigations and targeted enforcement in collaboration with OPD  
  • scale community outreach and strengthen multifamily message targeting  
  • publish initial evaluation findings 

2028-2029: Sustain Cleaner Conditions and Integrate Strategies into Ongoing Operations (January 2028 –June 2029) 

  • institutionalize hotspot management
  • integrate successful programs into ongoing operations 
  • refine deployment strategies 
  • evaluate outcomes and equity impacts 
  • prepare recommendations for the next phase of work 

Evaluation 

Illegal dumping is a complex challenge, and the City expects that the strategy will need to evolve as implementation progresses. To support continuous improvement, the City will retain an independent third-party evaluation firm to assist with program design, monitor outcomes, evaluate effectiveness, ensure equity, and provide recommendations for refining the strategy over the three-year implementation period. 

Contact Information

For questions, please contact Amanda Montez, Assistant to the Director, Department of Public Works, at amontez@oaklandca.gov. 

 

Respectfully submitted, 

Liam Garland, Director 

 

What is a Hotspot?

Oakland has approximately 115–120 hotspots, defined as locations with five or more illegal dumping work orders and at least one resident service request during the previous 60 days. These locations receive priority for camera deployment, enforcement, and community outreach. The City currently operates more than 30 cameras at hotspot locations and will expand that network to 80 or more cameras over the next six months.

 

Illegal Dumping Dashboard

Illegal Dumping Strategy and Dashboard

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