Large amounts of fruit, vegetables dumped onto streets in downtown Los Angeles
By Amanda Starrantino, Chelsea Hylton
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LOS ANGELES (KCAL, KCBS) — Large amounts of fruit and vegetables are being dumped on the streets of downtown Los Angeles and city officials are trying to identify who is responsible.
The aftermath looks less like a city sidewalk and more like a produce market gone wrong. For weeks, sanitation crews say they’ve been cleaning up tons of fruits and vegetables dumped onto the street.
City crews cleared a mess Tuesday morning, but by Wednesday night, new pallets of food waste were back, dumped again on corners like 15th Street and Hooper, Olympic and Naomi and Olympic and Hooper. Each time, sanitation has to haul away spoiled produce before it spreads or attracts pests.
Mayor Karen Bass’ office reached out to CBS Los Angeles, saying these are not victimless crimes. They said dumping large amounts of rotting food creates unsanitary conditions and blight and they’re urging residents to report illegal dumping by calling 311.
On Instagram, videos show toppled pallets of parsley and melons scattered across the road. One downtown resident told CBS Los Angeles off-camera that the food looks like rejected product, spoiled or unsellable, that workers simply toss out as a “free-for-all.” What makes it more puzzling is that it’s happening in areas not heavily traveled.
LA City Council District 14 says they’re working with sanitation to keep these blocks clean, but the source of all this food is still under investigation. For now, city crews will keep cleaning up the mess while neighbors keep asking who is doing the dumping.
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