Monterey County, located on California's central coast, is home to the one of the nation's largest agricultural producers, amounting to nearly $5 billion in annual crop and livestock gross value. The county is also a tourist destination that attracts nearly 4.5 million visitors annually to its dramatic coastline and marine sanctuary. These and other activities compete within an environmentally sensitive region populated by 435,000 residents who are relatively young (46% of residents are under age 30); 15% of the population lives under the Federal Poverty Level.
EHB's specialists and team members seek to improve land and water environmental quality through education methods, rather than through punitive methods. With that spirit, the Bureau heavily publicizes Earth Day each April to educate the public about the health and safety hazards of illegal dumping, and to engage the public in remediation activities.
The EHB is a member of the Monterey County Illegal Dumping and Litter Abatement Task Force of Monterey County, along with other county departments (Sheriff, Public Works, Water Resources Agency, and Board of Supervisors' Offices), Caltrans District 5 Transportation Agency of Monterey County, Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority, Monterey Regional Waste Management District, Republic Services of Salinas, Tri Cities Disposal, Waste Management Inc., and other concerned organizations (agriculture and tourism businesses, chambers of commerce). The Task Force, established in 1996, by the Monterey County Board of supervisors, combines the resources of these stakeholders together to recommend strategies that will help to reduce the incidence of illegal dumping and littering by producing and developing educational materials, providing research and networking with state task forces to identify underlying causes of illegal dumping, identify dumping hot spots,” and develop successful mitigation strategies.
Illegal dumping is everyone's problem. Illegal dumping along roadways, near creeks and in parks, is far from just an eyesore: dumped appliances, tires, electronic equipment, and other rubbish may contain dangerous hazardous materials and chemicals that can cause fire; contaminate beaches, water sources, and agricultural field crops; and cause physical injury for hikers, pedestrians, and park visitors. Illegal dumping threatens human health and safety by attracting and harboring disease transmitting vectors such as mosquitoes, flies, and rats that carry disease. As one of the nation's largest agricultural regions and a world class tourist destination, littering and illegal dumping in Monterey County can cause great financial impacts on the area's two largest industries. Taxpaying residents, agencies, and concerned organizations bear the heavy price to investigate dump sites and restore environmental safety. Additional consequences of environmental contamination are reduced food safety, property values, and quality of life.
The goal of Monterey County Health Department's Environmental Health Bureau (EHB) Illegal dumping awareness campaign through partnership with members of the Monterey County Illegal Dumping and Litter Abatement Task Force (IDLATF), is to reduce solid waste that is disposed in locations other than permitted disposal facilities such as a land fill or transfer station. The objectives include:
- Providing ongoing awareness of illegal dumping hazards, and education and incentives (free disposal vouchers) to encourage proper disposal methods,
- Capitalize on the month of April and on Earth Day specifically to promote community cleanup events, including organizing materials and supplies,
- Publicize proper low cost/no cost solid waste handling for tires, mattresses, used needles and unused medications, household chemicals, and electronics, and promote landfill diversion via recycling and reuse,
- With the Illegal Dumping & Litter Abatement Task Force (IDLATF), create strategic plans for promoting inter-agency and community partnerships to create strategic plans, promote public engagement, and anticipate emerging issues to reduce illegal dumping.
The annual Monterey County Clean-Up Day (Earth Day) was established and coordinated as the focal event to promote community involvement and cleanup of various county locations by the EHB, who's staff reach out to IDALATF members for input and available resources. Planning begins about six months before the event. The April 2018 planning included the creation of a new EHB illegal dumping webpage featuring illegal dumping reporting, solid waste and recycling locations, proper medical and household hazardous waste disposal, and Clean-Up event opportunities. A Clean-Up Day coordination packet developed along with other outreach materials for use at tabling events held two weeks prior to the April 2018 Clean-Up Day, in five county locations.
While originally established as an advisory group in 1996, IDALATF focused on law enforcement efforts that could not be sustained due to higher level enforcement concerns. The Task force then determined in 2002 that the focus should be on proactive measures to address illegal dumping and litter abatement instead of the original enforcement approach. The clean-up day event was designed to coincide with Earth Day and over the years it has grown with increasing stakeholder participation and has now expanded to an Earth Month where the task force promotes month long clean up events with the ultimate and established goal to promote clean up event all year long. Together, EHB and IDALATF have achieved these milestones:
- Hosting the Annual Monterey County Clean-Up Day Events and raise awareness on Earth Day month
- Hosting workshops for the Monterey County Farm Bureau and Grower-Shipper Association
- Increasing greater stakeholder participation
- Inviting a series of guest speakers from other agencies to IDALATF meetings
- Developing an illegal dumping webpage and IDALATF webpage on the Monterey County website.
- Providing more outreach to the community.
- Planning a merger with the Monterey Peninsula Illegal Dumping Taskforce.
- Promoting the success of the task force at the 2018 Cal-Recycle technical training event held in Monterey CA.
Examples of factors that have led to Clean-Up successes are:
- Establishing a strategic plan with the goal in mind
- Supportive IDALATF members and leadership who create a welcome environment that encourages progressive discussion
- Extending membership invitations to join the working group
- The use of credible, relatable representation from the public and private agencies, community members, solid waste haulers, landfill operators, and government agencies
- Open communication during and outside of IDALATF meetings: public presentations of success
- Support from local government entities and local politicians
- Funding support for the voucher program by the local landfill operations
- Extensive new media through press releases and proclamations by cities and county of Earth Month
Examples of factors that have led to Clean-Up successes are:
- Establishing a strategic plan with the goal in mind
- Supportive IDALATF members and leadership who create a welcome environment that encourages progressive discussion
- Extending membership invitations to join the working group
- The use of credible, relatable representation from the public and private agencies, community members, solid waste haulers, landfill operators, and government agencies
- Open communication during and outside of IDALATF meetings: public presentations of success
- Support from local government entities and local politicians
- Funding support for the voucher program by the local landfill operations
- Extensive new media through press releases and proclamations by cities and county of Earth Month
- Celebrating successful efforts
Applicable websites are:
www.mtyhd.org/disposal-coupon-program
www.mtyhd.org/illegaldumping
www.mtyhd.org/propertrashdisposal
www.mtyhd.org/reportillegaldumping
www.mtyhd.org/illegaldumpingtaskforce
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/government/departments-a-h/health/environmental-health/solid-waste-management/earth-day-events