Trash is piling up in Berkeley but city can't clean it up

BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- At ABC7 we're committed to building a better Bay Area, which includes cleaning up our streets. But that's not so easy in Berkeley where trash is piling up, especially along frontage roads off Interstate 80. The city wants to clean it up, but can't due to a tangled bureaucratic nightmare.

Business owners call it an eye sore. It's not the first impression Joe Kunis wants his customers to see.

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"It's it's dirty and ought to be cleaned up," said Kunis.

Kunis owns Bay Home Furniture in Berkeley where garbage is piling up near the front and back of his store.

It's not far from where several homeless camps have popped up along the I-80 frontage road.

One man who lives in a tent off the University Avenue exit says don't blame him.

"At least 60-percent of trash is from people dumping illegally," said Matt who is homeless.

ABC7 found garbage, TVs and furniture on the streets. It's gotten so bad, some businesses have even posted 'No Dumping' signs.

The City of Berkeley would like to clean it up but can't because most of it is on Caltrans property.

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The city says Caltrans is supposed to clean the area every two weeks but hasn't due to limited resources.

A spokesperson told ABC7 News, "CalTrans is working with all our local partners to find solutions to the complex issue of homelessness in the Bay Area."

The city says it will clean up all the debris it can, meantime the Berkeley City Council has just approved funding for dumpsters and portable toilets near homeless camps.