Lee expands trash pickup to seven days to tackle illegal dumping

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee announced Friday that the city would deploy crews to clean up illegal dumping sites during weekends. 

The weekend crews will respond quicker to residents’ trash complaints, Lee said. Her announcement comes amid increased pressure from advocacy groups and residents who say officials need to do more to clean up the trash littering the city. 

“As Mayor, I want all of us to build an Oakland where our streets reflect the dignity, pride, and resilience of this community,” Lee said in a news release. “We know too many Oaklanders are seeing trash on their streets and illegal dumping in their neighborhoods. And we are working hard to address this issue. Let’s create a cleaner, safer, greener Oakland together.”

A day earlier, the Urban Compassion Project, a volunteer-run street cleaning organization, held a press conference at Oakland City Hall to urge the city to ramp up clean-up efforts. 

Vincent Ray Williams III, co-founder of the organization, said the group has done a lot to clear trash that has piled up in the city, and that city leaders need to do more. 

 “We are showing up in force,” Williams said. “It’s the community that’s made it possible.”  

Illegal dumping has been a serious issue in Oakland since the pandemic, and the tons of trash lying around prompted groups like the Urban Compassion Project to pitch in with regular volunteer cleanups.

Since 2021, the Urban Compassion Project has picked up 2,700 tons of trash during on Wednesdays and Saturdays. More than 1,400 volunteers have helped in those efforts.

Since 2024, the city has responded to more than 25,700 service requests and removed over 9,000 tons of illegally dumped trash from streets, according to Lee’s press release. 

One of the factors likely contributing to illegal dumping is the high fees residents and businesses pay for curbside trash pickups, said Supriya Golas, co-founder of the Urban Compassion Project.

According to the Oakland Recycles, trash pick-up fees for residents range from $55 to $165, considerably higher than fees for Berkeley residents, who pay $45 to $106. 

“Oakland is drowning in trash, and it’s so normalized that we walk past piles of trash near encampments like it’s nothing,” Golas said. 

Lee said she’s planning to launch a second phase of her town beautification project, “Keep the Town Clean,” by having trash removal block parties across the city and monthly business corridor cleanups. 

Meanwhile, the Urban Compassion Project has mobilized trash pickups with help from residents. 

Eliza Drinker, an Oakland resident and volunteer, found out about the organization when she watched an Instagram video showing the group clearing out bags of trash. Drinker, who regularly volunteers on Saturdays, said she wants the city to be a clean space for everyone. 

Cary Heil spent over two decades working in the Lake Merritt area and noticed illegal dumping becoming a bigger problem.

“Residents need to participate in advocating for cleaner streets,” Heil said, “because the City Council doesn’t know what you want them to fix if you don’t advocate.”

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