A new Philly initiative will target illegal dumping and other quality-of-life crimes

A new unit in the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office will work to combat illegal dumping, stepping up investigation and prosecution of one of the city’s most prominent quality-of-life crimes.

Known as the Cleaner and Greener Enforcement Unit, the effort is being launched as a pilot program in the 8th and 9th City Council Districts, District Attorney Larry Krasner announced at a news conference Tuesday. The program is launching amid Krasner’s reelection bid as campaigning ramps up ahead of the May 20 primary.

The unit, officials said, will use investigatory tools such as surveillance cameras and cell phone tower data to find perpetrators, and dedicate prosecutors to litigate illegal dumping, also known as short dumping.

“Nobody needs short dumping going on in their neighborhood,” Krasner said. “We at the DA’s Office are very eager to address this issue through prevention and enforcement, prosecuting cases investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department with vigor and determination.”

The unit’s goal, officials said, is to increase enforcement against quality-of-life crimes with a focus on illegal dumping, a growing issue with which the city has long struggled. According to a 2020 Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful study, Philadelphia spends about $48 million annually on cleanups, with nearly 90% of that money going toward actual removal, rather than prevention and enforcement.

Illegal dumping often disproportionately impacts middle-class and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, Krasner said. A 2023 Lenfest Institute for Journalism/SSRS poll, meanwhile, found that about 70% of residents who were Black, Latino, or made less than $50,000 a year considered illegal dumping a top priority to address.

Mayor Cherelle L. Parker has also focused on cleaning up Philadelphia, running on a platform that promised to make the city “cleaner and greener,” a now-familiar phrase. Her first budget last year included a $246 million investment over five years to that end, and in a budget address to City Council, she specifically called out illegal dumping, noting that “short-dumping sites that pile back up days after being cleared” were among the woes stopping residents from believing “their neighborhoods will ever be clean.”

Krasner said Tuesday that Parker had “found some funding” for the DA’s office to establish the new enforcement unit, which will be led by Assistant District Attorney Teresa Benevides-Sexton. He added that funding should be available by July 1, after which he expects the unit’s presence in the city to expand, but did not discuss specific amounts.

Illegal dumping has historically resulted in summary citations for offenders, akin to a traffic ticket. In recent years, the crime has often been treated as a misdemeanor, and can include thousands of dollars in fines, as well as the seizure of vehicles, and imposition of cleanup fees, The Inquirer previously reported. Even felony charges could be filed, depending on the severity of the incident, Krasner said Tuesday.

“Obviously, there’s a difference between somebody who dumps one dresser, which they shouldn’t do … and a tractor-trailer that pulls up and dumps thousands of tires over a period of time,” Krasner said. “Our justice will be individual.”

Officials announced the new pilot unit in the city’s Lawncrest section near an area of Tacony Creek Park where the removal of about 4,000 illegally dumped tires began last month. Tires, Krasner said, are not only a visual blight, but are a “tremendous hazard,” in that they are extremely difficult to extinguish if set ablaze.

Councilmember Anthony Phillips, who represents the area, said in a statement that the area’s residents have been battling illegal dumping for decades.

“Illegal dumping is not just a nuisance. It is an attack on our neighborhoods and community,” Phillips said. “But I believe that through collaboration between residents, law enforcement, and elected officials, this serious problem can be solved in large part through community engagement, prevention, and enforcement.”

The city has about 300 video cameras installed to help catch illegal dumpers. And while prosecution for illegal dumping decreased during the pandemic, the Parks and Recreation Department has issued more than a million dollars in fines against dumpers over the past two years, The Inquirer reported last month.

Officials said that anyone who observes illegal dumping in the city should call 911. A hotline for the Cleaner and Greener Enforcement Unit has also been established, and can be reached at 215-686-8988.