Illegal dumping prevention shows promise, but funding could dry up sooner than expected
The nonprofit has also cleaned up roughly 226,000 square feet of area in the neighborhood, including at five illegal dumping hotspots. Duarte said signs advertising the voucher program at these hotspots have helped deter repeat dumping.
“The signage itself was like, ‘Hey, here’s free money. Don’t dump here,’” Duarte said. “That was enough for them to say, ‘Wait a minute, if I don’t dump here but somebody’s giving me something for free, I’d rather call this number.’ And they’re doing that.”
Gonzalez said illegal dumping in the neighborhood has not stopped completely, but it has improved.
“The parks are cleaner, the area is cleaner near the daycares, the schools, the church and the community buildings,” she said.
Under its grant, the nonprofit’s voucher program was originally intended to last three years, but Duarte said due to the program’s popularity, North10 may end up exhausting the funding faster.
“We’re flying through it,” she said.
The nonprofit plans to apply for more funding to continue the program, she said.
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