450 lbs of pig waste illegally dumped at site in Gardena
LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office is taking action as a major illegal dumping site in Gardena continues to grow.
The department is planning to install cameras in the area of 133rd and Broadway to deter illegal dumpers. Recently someone dumped 450 lbs of dead pigs at the site. This is the third time meat has been dumped in the area.
Images show tons of trash lining the street corner. Parts of the street are also covered in trash.
The area is also home to a massive RV homeless encampment.
Justino Miramontes, who manufactures hair and body cosmetics on Redondo Beach Blvd., says the pig meat is bringing in the wrong kind of business…baby rats and bugs.
"Boxes full of flies on top of the meat. It just barely happened so it was still fresh," he said.
Despite constant community cleanups, the mess keeps coming back.
"Human waste, rats, food has been here for maybe months. We clean up today, tomorrow it’ll be the same," said Alvin Huezo with Universal Waste Services.
"They don’t want to pay the fee to recycle or dump, so they come up here. People will usually leave receipts behind or addresses on boxes and that’s how we figure out who’s doing the illegal dumping."
That’s exactly how Harbor Gateway Chamber of Commerce volunteers caught the pig waste culprit.
"Ribs in boxes, so we went through the boxes we found the serial number, we called the company in Colorado. We were able to figure out the distributor, so we believe it’s a local restaurant that’s dumping," said David Matthews.
LASD plans to put a camera on the other side of this fence. They already installed one down the street. Business owners are hoping more cameras will help save their sanity and livelihoods.
LA County Board of Supervisor Holly Mitchell's office released a statement saying "This kind of behavior will not be tolerated, it's unsafe and inconsiderate for the businesses and residents in our communities. Supervisor Mitchell continues to work with the county's Department of Public Works and residents to ensure our unincorporated communities can safely dispose of trash and unwanted items. Keeping our neighborhoods clean and accessible is a shared responsibility."
To report illegal dumping in unincorporated communities, residents can contact Public Works at 888-838-6746 or visit CleanLA.com.