How San Francisco's "trash detectives" are working to catch litter bugs
In someone's bags of illegally dumped trash, Ramses Alvarez's team just found a lead: a name with an address.
San Francisco, like much of America, is blighted by litter. Alvarez supervises public works employees in the city, who act as "trash detectives," rooting through mounds of rubbish, block by block and bag by bag. They're looking for evidence tying the trash to the trasher.
The goal of the program is more than just cleanup — it's also about accountability. Fines for perpetrators can reach $1,000.
"It happens 24/7, 365. There's always illegal dumping in the city," Alvarez said. "It's not OK to use the city as your trash can."
On a national scale, there are an estimated 50 billion pieces of litter on U.S. roads and waterways, according to the 2020 Keep American Beautiful national litter study. That's an estimated 150 pieces of litter for every person living in the country.
"A trashed environment sends a powerful message, and it's not a pleasant one psychologically or socially or physically," said Dr. David Spiegel, a psychiatry professor at Stanford University.
Spiegel says the trashing of America breeds social isolation, which is linked to depression.
San Francisco alone generates 5,000 tons of trash per day. Recology, one of the city's waste disposal companies, collects and separates most of it into three categories: landfill, recycling and compost that gets sold to fertilize nearby farms.
But 18,000 tons of trash end up getting dumped on city streets every year, according to city officials.
On resident Joffrey Simpson's corner, garbage is a given. It's one of 30 hot spots for dumping just in his neighborhood. Simpson says he doesn't know who is doing the dumping, but it's a constant nuisance.
In a 2024 LawnStarter survey of America's dirtiest cities, New York City's "living conditions" were ranked the worst, followed by San Francisco and Jersey City.
In San Francisco, many people dump their garbage illegally to dodge trash collection fees paid by most owners and renters.
Recology employee Robert Reed believes everyone should do their part.
"We all generate garbage. We all have a personal responsibility to take care of it, to put it in the right place," Reed said.
Back on the streets, Alvarez and his team come across a pile of trash with no leads. Whoever it belongs to will get away with it — "until next time," one worker says.
And next time could be right around the corner.