Several 40-yard dumpsters sit along the north and east walls of the City of Costa Mesa Corporation Yard.
Some bins hold green waste such as branches, flowers, grass and leaves; others contain appliances, also known as “white goods.”
But one particular bin is filled to the brim with unwanted furniture, toys, and other household items that have been illegally dumped in alleys, parks, and other areas in the public right-of-way and collected by the city’s maintenance services staff.
The haul is in response to residents who are leaving behind items that ultimately are taxing city resources and staff who have to retrieve the items and keep them from accumulating on public property.
“We have one full-time senior maintenance worker and one part-time maintenance assistance assigned to pick up illegally dumped items five days a week and on-call for special needs or emergency situations,” says Maintenance Services Manager Bruce Hartley. “It takes strict commitment to keep the city streets clean.”
Dumping like this happens daily and citywide but is most prevalent around the 1st and 15th of the month when residents are moving and rental leases are expiring.
Staff members drive around town in a two-ton dump truck to collect items and fill a 40-yard dumpster measuring 8-feet wide by 6-feet tall by 20-feet deep every one to two days.
The City of Costa Mesa contracts with Ware Disposal Co., Inc. for hauling and disposal of all waste collected by the staff. Furniture and daily park trash are hauled once a week while green waste is hauled monthly. Appliances are retrieved every other month.
Shopping carts retrieved by staff are returned to the owners, and carts containing personal property are inventoried by Costa Mesa police personnel.
Alleys most affected by illegal dumping are located in the southwest area and predominantly in high-density residential neighborhoods.
Staff has seen a recent increase in property being left in the public right-of-way. However, there are multiple options available to residents for disposing or donating unwanted goods.
The Costa Mesa Sanitary District is responsible for waste collection and transferring recyclable materials for single-family residences in the city.
Through CMSD’s contract with CR&R, single-family residences with up to four units are eligible for large item pick-ups three times a year at no cost.
There is a limit of 10 items per call or a combined total of 30 items per calendar year.
Residents may call CR&R Customer Service at (949) 646- 4617 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to schedule a large item pick-up.
Residents living in multiple-family units that use dumpsters are not eligible for the program through CR&R and must contact their contracted waste haulers for pick-up of unwanted items. Contact information can be found on dumpsters on by contacting property management.
In addition to disposal, residents are encouraged to donate clean, usable items to local charities. The following is a list of local organizations that may be interested in your items:
- Fresh Beginnings Ministries (to benefit Costa Mesa homeless residents who have been placed in housing and are in need of furniture and household goods), Pastor Bill Nelson, Fresh Beginning Ministries, bill@freshbeginningsministries.com
- Project Hope Alliance (to benefit Costa Mesa homeless families placed in housing), 1945 Placentia Ave., Suite 202, Costa Mesa, CA 92627, (949) 722-7863
- Salvation Army Family Store and Donation Dropbox, 2126 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa, CA, 92627, (949) 642-3636
- Assistance League of Newport-Mesa, 2220 Fairview Rd, Costa Mesa, CA 92627, (949) 645-6929