Impacts of Illegal Dumping in East Palo Alto:
An Environmental Justice AnalysisMisty McKinney and Tendai Chitewere
Department of Geography & Environment, San Francisco State University
• City of East Palo Alto, San Mateo County
• Incorporated in 1983
• 2.51 square miles
• Population 29,662 (2015 Census estimate)
• Majority people of color (2010 Census) o 64.5% Hispanic/Latinos
o 15.8% Black/African American
o 7.4% Pacific Islanders
o 6.2% White
o 3.6% Asians
o 2.5% Other races
• High renter population
• 75% of households speak a language other
than English at home 7
STUDY SITE
Primary Data Collection
• Purposive and snowball sampling
o Semi-structured interviews
o Employees at various levels of
relevant government agencies
o Employees at relevant
nongovernmental organizations
• Transcribed, coded, and analyzed data
Secondary Data Collection
• Academic journal articles
• Government documents, reports, maps
• Council/taskforce meetings and minutes
• Newspaper articles
METHODS
Preliminary findings suggest that illegal dumping is
disproportionately impacting the community of East Palo Alto. In a
twelve month period between 2015 and 2016, approximately 3,000
illegal dumping calls were received from twelve jurisdictions in San
Mateo County with more than a third of dumping occurring in East
Palo Alto. Collected data infer that a major barrier to proper disposal
is the cost and lack of information on disposal options. Further
analysis of the connection between increased illegal dumping activity
and the demographic makeup of East Palo Alto is being conducted.
Public policy to address illegal dumping through the permit process of
the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES)
changed in 2015, declassifying illegal dumping mitigation activity as a
credit option of compliance. Subsequently, 55% of interview
participants were not knowledgeable of the NPDES Permit and the
requirements to develop the Long Term Trash Load Reduction Plan
under the NPDES permit which was designed to capture 100% of
trash from entering water bodies by 2020, thus impacting the
enforcement of illegal dumping.
The results of this study can help stakeholders address illegal
dumping, which predominantly occurs in disadvantaged communities,
by utilizing an environmental justice framework that seeks to address
structural barriers to dumping and while enforcing a mitigation
process.
DISCUSSION
1. Crofts, P., Morris, T., Wells, K., & Powell, A. (2010). Illegal dumping and crime prevention: A case
study of Ash Road, Liverpool Council. Public Space: The Journal of Law & Social Justice, 5, 1– 23.
2. Sigman, H. (1998). Midnight Dumping: Public Policies and Illegal Disposal of Used Oil. The RAND
Journal of Economics, 29(1), 157–178.
3. Ichinose, D., & Yamamoto, M. (2011). On the relationship between the provision of waste
management service and illegal dumping. Resource and Energy Economics, 33 (1), 79–93.
4. Matsumoto, S., & Takeuchi, K. (2011). The effect of community characteristics on the frequency of
illegal dumping. Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, 13(3), 177–193.
5. U.S. EPA Region 5. (1998, March). Illegal Dumping Prevention Guidebook. U.S. EPA.
6. Pellow, D. N. (2004). The Politics of Illegal Dumping: An Environmental Justice Framework.
Qualitative Sociology, 27(4), 511–525.
7. City of East Palo Alto (2017). Vista 2035: East Palo Alto General Plan.
REFERENCES
I would like to thanks the Department of Geography & Environment
of San Francisco State University, SCALES, and all participants in
the research. I would like to especially thank Eli and Drake aka
“Turtle” for your unwavering support and to all my family and friends
for pushing me to complete my journey.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Illegal dumping is a concern for many communities in the United
States and throughout the world. Illegal dumping impacts the
environment and can pose serious health problems if toxic waste and
chemicals from dumped materials contaminate water bodies 1, 2. In
California, illegal dumping is a problem in urban settings with many
municipalities having ordinances to deter the act with significant fines
or jail time. In the City of East Palo Alto, the frequency of illegal
dumping increases yearly.
Illegal dumping occurs along roadways, alleys, and in poorly lit areas
with materials ranging from construction and demolition debris,
automobile parts, bulky household waste like furniture and appliances,
and household trash 3, 4. In the small city of East Palo Alto, California,
low-income communities and communities of color are
disproportionately burden with illegally dumped waste compared to
neighboring cities.
The Environmental Protection Agency defines environmental justice as
“the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people
regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the
development, implementation and enforcement of environmental laws,
regulation and policies” 5. Environmental injustice is the concept that
certain communities are disproportionately burdened with
environmental hazard such as illegal dumping 6.
INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND
Misty McKinney – [email protected]
CONTACT
• How does the City of East Palo Alto address illegal dumping in their
Long Term Trash Load Reduction Plan?
• How effective is the Long Term Trash Load Reduction Plan in
mitigating illegal dumping in East Palo Alto?
• How does the City of East Palo Alto address planning policies that contribute to the environmental injustices of illegal dumping?
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
SCALESSustainable Communitiesand Local Environments
Source: City of East Palo Alto
Source: City of East Palo Alto