A cleanup initiative in Lemon Creek collected about 40 tons of waste and material in just a few days, according to a City and Borough of Juneau release Wednesday.
The “Lemon Creek Clean Up” project, which allowed Lemon Creek residents to dispose of heavy or large non-hazardous items, tires and vehicles for free, began Sept. 8. The idea for the program came from CBJ Community Development’s Lemon Creek Area Planning effort, when community members requested a way to get rid of their unwanted garbage.
Waste Management and AK Waste (formerly Pacific Waste) provided donations of services to the cleanup effort, and CBJ’s RecycleWorks program is working to ensure that the items will be disposed of properly. The city gave notices of the program to Lemon Creed residents, but not residents of other parts of town.
Word about the program got out, though.
Multiple Lemon Creek residents contacted the Empire and said people from other areas of town were leaving garbage at the dumpsters, taking advantage of the program. Community Development Director Rob Steedle said city staff was aware of people coming from elsewhere, but didn’t have the manpower to police it.
“We did not have enough labor resources to have people at each dumpster 24 hours a day,” Steedle said. “They filled up pretty quickly and we closed them up at night and unfortunately people would stop by and dump their loads by the dumpster.”
City staff would clean up the garbage in the mornings and reopen the dumpsters, Steedle said. Overall, city staff members feel that the program was a success but decided that the program had run its course.
The program is now closed, effective immediately. Both dumping locations that were open are now closed. Those who illegally dump in these areas will be subject to fines.
The “Lemon Creek Clean Up” project, which allowed Lemon Creek residents to dispose of heavy or large non-hazardous items, tires andvehicles for free, began Sept. 8. The idea for the program came from CBJ Community Development’s Lemon Creek Area Planning effort,when community members requested a way to get rid of their unwanted garbage. (Photo courtesy of Jaqulyn Mansfield)
