SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown's administration announced on Friday that it is introducing an ordinance to update city code to align with state law on penalties for illegal dumping.
In addition, a new online dashboard has been launched to provide residents with insights into the City of Spokane’s efforts to combat illegal dumping and track waste pickup across neighborhoods and downtown.
The new ordinance will amend the city code to increase the penalty for illegal dumping from a civil infraction to a gross misdemeanor.
Illegal dumping is defined as a type of littering when the disposal is greater than one cubic foot and left in a public place. Examples include:
- Disposing of garbage, litter or discarded items in any public place, public park or in the waters within city limits.
- Depositing garbage, litter or discarded items on the private property of another without the property owner's permission.
- Depositing garbage, litter or discarded items into any garbage can, dumpster or other receptacle located on the private property of another, except for containers placed in an area and designated for public use.
The new dashboard highlights key metrics related to the pounds of garbage picked up by the City’s Code Enforcement Department in 2023 and 2024.
“The launch of this dashboard and our efforts to curb illegal dumping reflects the City’s broader commitment to cleaner neighborhoods and a cleaner downtown,” Mayor Brown said. “Our Code Enforcement teams work tirelessly to meet these challenges head-on and we appreciate residents utilizing 311 to report illegal dumping. The data we collect helps us refine our strategies and make better decisions moving forward.”
The data on the dashboard includes the total pounds picked up by the Homeless Outreach Team as part of the response to unauthorized campsites, the total pounds cleared from illegal dump sites and the total pounds cleaned up from nuisance properties.
The dashboard also highlights the number of site-specific responses, which includes complete cleanup and in-progress cleanup month after month.
According to the city dashboard, more than 1.6 million pounds of garbage were picked up in 2023 and, as of September 2024, more than 1.2 million pounds have already been picked up.
Code Enforcement teams have also responded to more sites every month this year compared to 2023, except for August.
“We want residents to see the direct impact of their reports and our response,” said Director of Code Enforcement Luis Garcia. “The increase in waste collected year-to-date underscores our intensified efforts to keep our neighborhoods and streets cleaned.”
The city says the dashboard will be updated monthly.
Citizens can report illegal dumping online through the City of Spokane web portal or by calling 311 or (509) 755-2489 for those outside city limits.
