Authorizing the Committee on Streets to hold public hearings to examine the culture, enforcement practices, prevention measures, and potential solutions needed to address the epidemic of illegal dumping in Philadelphia.

WHEREAS, Illegal dumping is a citywide scourge that has turned dozens of neighborhoods, commercial corridors, residential streets, lots, and alleyways into wastelands of debris, garbage, tires, and trash; and

WHEREAS, Unfortunately, illegal dumping has become institutionalized in neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia; and

WHEREAS, When illegal dumping becomes the status-quo, the quality of life for all Philadelphians is severely impacted; and

WHEREAS, Environmentally, illegal dumping pollutes our soil, contaminates our groundwater, and negatively impacts the quality of the air we breathe; and

WHEREAS, Economically, in Fiscal Year 2013, the Philadelphia Streets Department spent $1,400,000 cleaning and hauling away 14,000 tons of illegally dumped trash and tires. Estimated costs to clean up illegal dumpsites can range from $600 to over $1,000 per ton for cleanup and removal; and

WHEREAS, Illegal dumping negatively affects neighborhood property values, creates liability for property owners, and creates physical hazards for individuals and pets; and

WHEREAS, Illegal dumping attracts disease spreading rodents and mosquitoes, such as those that carry the deadly West Nile Virus; and

WHEREAS, Social scientists James Q. Wilson's and George Kelling's “Broken Window Theory” argues that crime reduction and overall safety can be linked to the prevention of illegal dumping in neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS, In 2012, Forbes ranked the Philadelphia metropolitan area the 3rd dirtiest city in America; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the Committee on Streets is hereby authorized to hold public hearings to examine the culture, enforcement practices, prevention measures, and potential solutions needed to address the epidemic of illegal dumping in Philadelphia.

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