Drive around the neighborhoods of Long Beach and chances are you may see a mattress dumped on the sidewalk or in alleyway. The city is hoping to combat that illegal dumping with a pilot program, however.
The city estimates about 18,000 mattresses are left illegally each year and “puts a strain on city resources that can be used for other cleanup efforts, creates blight and often blocks access to the public right of way,” said a Long Beach Public Works statement.
Now, the city hopes its new 24/7 mattress drop-off pilot program will reduce illegal dumping and clean up some neighborhoods.
“It makes the city look dirty,” said Ashley Alcala, who was raised and lives near downtown Long Beach. “Growing up in the city, it was not full of clutter. I don’t remember ever seeing things left on the side (of the road).”
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NBC4 found at least four mattresses in the city’s Wrigley neighborhood just a few blocks apart. One mattress and a box spring were in an alleyway and another mattress was dumped right in front of a playground.
In 2021, the city said 24,700 mattresses were picked up and of those, 9,000 were illegally dumped.
This summer, the city started a pilot program where residents can legally drop off old mattresses at one spot: 970 West Chester Place. It’s free of charge, open 24 hours a day and the mattresses that are dropped off are recycled by a non-profit partner. So far, the city has seen 175 mattresses dropped off.
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The city had already been working to collect mattresses once a month at the same location since April, which saw 458 mattresses recycled.
“The addition of the 24/7 mattress drop-off pilot program will further support the City's efforts to reduce illegal mattress dumping throughout Long Beach,” said the public works statement.
“It is a step in the right direction, but how many people are going to do it,” asked Acala, pointing out many people in her neighborhood are still dumping mattresses on the sidewalks. “Putting it in more locations will help it more, not just in one spot.”
This pilot program runs until Oct. 29.
