Trailer with toxic waste found dumped in Oakland neighborhood, officials address illegal dumping issue

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Illegal dumping went to a new extreme between the Christmas and New Year's holidays in Oakland.

Hazmat crews responded to a 20-feet trailer with more than a thousand buckets of toxic material dumped on a residential street in East Oakland.

The incident happened in the middle of the afternoon on Dec. 27.

A nearby surveillance camera was available but did not capture the action, as it was spray-painted all over with lacquer thinners.

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Community advocate Ken Houston calls it a crime against the community.

"If they didn't clean it up it would have gone through the storm drain into the bay. You've got deep East Oakland as a dumping ground. You've got Noel's district, dumping ground. You've got West Oakland, dumping ground," he said.

Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley says people commute to places to dump things.

"Illegal dumping isn't just an issue for Oakland and Alameda County. It's a statewide issue because illegal dumping has no boundaries. It's a plague on our communities," he said.

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Supervisor Miley is trying to convene a statewide illegal dumping conference in San Jose in April with the long-term goal of changing the bold, accepted culture of "dumping."

An investigation regarding the dumped trailer is underway that will lead to prosecution with the district attorney's office and the Mayor in the loop.

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