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Discussion of City's 2020 Anti-Litter campaign. (Leslie Arroyo, Communications Director)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the City Council receive an update on the City of South San Francisco's 2020 Anti-Litter campaign and provide further direction on proposed initiatives.
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BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
The City of South San Francisco is a wonderful community to live, work, learn, and play, or just visit. We have so much to be proud of, but like many communities across America, litter is found along our city streets and local waterways. Litter became a huge issue a decade ago after two million gallons of trash were found bobbing in Bay Area waterways, about half of it plastic grocery bags, candy wrappers, lids, straws and chip bags. A crackdown was necessary, conservationists said, because the waste leaches toxins into the water and winds up in the ocean, where the plastic breaks down into tiny pieces that are ingested by marine mammals, fish and birds. In a February 14, 2019 San Francisco Chronicle article titled "Caltrans ordered to clean up the roadways or face up to $25,000-a-day fines," it states that Caltrans has committed $400 million toward trash control and maintenance between now and 2026. That includes $33 million on cost-sharing deals with five cities to build collections systems and clean up homeless encampments near highways. However, Caltrans has stated it doesn't know how it will pay for everything it was ordered to clean up. According to Keep America Beautiful, one of the bad aspects of litter is that it encourages more people to litter. Researchers observed that if people see garbage scattered around public or commercial areas, they tend to drop their litter on the ground nearby. This is why it is imperative that the City of South San Francisco mount an aggressive anti-litter campaign and provide more ways for people to dispose of their trash.
What the City of South San Francisco Currently Does
The City of So...
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