The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors was faced with the issue of illegal dumping in the Antelope Valley and Acton after Supervisor Kathryn Barger called for an action plan at their Tuesday meeting to address the growing issue.

“I am very concerned about the increase of illegal dumping, particularly in the Antelope Valley,” Barger said. “Illegal dumping is a blight on the community that erodes the quality of life for our residents.”

Barger represents the Santa Clarita Valley and Antelope Valley as part of Los Angeles County’s fifth district.

After driving through the district, visiting homeless encampments, Barger said she was shocked by roads littered with old furniture,mattresses, household waste, construction debris, hazardous materials and broken electronics.

“Illegal dumping in the Antelope Valley has been a problem for decades and it seems to be getting worse,” said Barger.

Officials on the border between the Santa Clarita Valley and Antelope Valley agreed.

“The city of Acton has become a dump site,” said Tom Costan, president of the Acton Town Council. “Some of the biggest offenders are construction companies that dump truckloads of dirt on roadsides and private property, with no regard for grading.”

The situation is an “ecological disaster in the making,” he said.  

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Part of the problem is a 2007 county ordinance that requires residents and businesses to pay for trash pickup, or file as “self-haulers,” according to Barger.

A decade later, only one application to be a self-hauler has been filed, according to officials.

Those breaking the law are saving lots of money, said another resident at the meeting, adding that a 10-wheel dump truck can bring in 10 tons of soil that would cost $500 to $700 to dispose of legally.

Legally disposing of trash is inconvenient, and lax enforcement has emboldened illegal dumpers, Barger said.

While county departments have filed notices of violation on land that contains illegal waste, the property owners are not always the party at fault, as they often live out of state or even out of the country, according to Barger.

The supervisor asked county departments to create an action plan to enforce ordinances prohibiting the dumping, ranging from incentives to steep penalties.

“There are many possible approaches to solve this problem. Residents should be incentivized to dispose of waste legally and illegal dumping enforcement efforts must be significantly increased,” said Barger.

If necessary, recommendations for the allocation of additional funding and strategies to encourage residents to dispose of waste legally in a proper setting will be reviewed.

County departments are expected to report back to the board in 45 days.

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