LAKE COUNTY— Caltrans District 1 and the County of Lake are promoting a Clean California (Clean CA) Dump Day event in partnership with Lake County Waste Solutions (LCWS) for this Saturday at transfer stations in Lakeport (230 Soda Bay Road) and Clearlake (16015 Davis Av). Residents will be able to get rid of large items for free from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. or until capacity reached.
Dump Day events were made possible through Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Clean California initiative. A sweeping $1.2 billion, multiyear cleanup effort is being led by Caltrans to keep roads and waterways free of litter, transforming state and local public spaces through beautification efforts.
Since launching Clean California in July 2021, Caltrans and local partners have removed an estimated 1.86 million cubic yards of litter from state highways – a trash pile that would be more than 370 times taller than Mount Whitney (14,505 feet, the state’s highest peak). The program has created more than 4,000 jobs that have helped Californians overcome barriers to employment, including 357 people experiencing homelessness, and drawn more than 10,000 volunteers to those events, ranging from community cleanups to large debris collections for appliances, tires and mattresses.
“The Clean California program is actually a short-term program that was put on by the governor. It was actually funded through June 30 of 2024. It’s a pilot program. One of the goals is to improve and beautify California, reduce litter and create jobs,” said Brenda Rose, Clean California Field Coordinator at Caltrans District 1.
“Our program is throughout the district, and our district serves Del Norte, Humboldt Lake and Mendocino counties. We’ve reached out to various municipalities throughout our district to partner for Dump Day events like the one that’s coming this weekend in Lake County,” added Rhiannon Montgomery, Clean California Public Information Officer at Caltrans District 1.
Lake County Waste Solutions collaborates with Caltrans through the Clean California grant. “They reach out to us and then we schedule a time to do it. This is our second one here. It is extremely popular,” said LCWS Outreach Manager, Michelle Goodman. The last even took place in April 22 and took 17 couches and 49 mattresses on the bulky item day.
“The goal of reducing roadside litter providing these dump days was an idea that we came up with statewide, so Caltrans is doing it statewide and in all districts. The thought is that if we give people an opportunity to dump stuff for free, then they’re less likely to illegally dump it on the side of the roads. When we have to pick up stuff on the side of the roads is really costly and is dangerous for our maintenance workers to go retrieve it. Then we partner with other local agencies. Sometimes, it’s a county or a city or another entity with the hope of providing a framework to other agencies, so if they want to continue this in the future, if they get grant funds or other means to do it, then they have a framework to provide this and they can see the benefit to the community,” said Rose.
Free Dump Day collection is limited to household items including furniture, appliances, mattresses and other large, bulky items. No construction materials, business waste, hazardous waste, tires, treated wood waste or asbestos of any type will be accepted. “We can also take scrap metal, so things like barbecues and old play equipment. It is focused on household debris only, not for businesses,” she added.
“We have a partnership that allows us in some cases to recycle. We recycle a lot of mattresses and tires. The County and the waste partners have been great over the course of the program. The major point of this opportunity for communities is to be able to take those large items and properly dispose them, keeping our roadways and waterways free of trash,” said Montgomery.
Goodman concurred: “we have a program with the mattresses, so there’s a company that comes and picks them up and reuses them. We do not want things to be piling up in the backyard and there are actually items that our transportation takes for free.”
Caltrans reminds motorists to properly secure and tarp all cargo loads prior to driving. Transporting unsecured loads is unsafe, illegal and pollutes California’s roads and waterways. Loads that are not tied down, enclosed or secured by tarps or other means will not be accepted.
Tips for securing your load
- Completely cover loads with tarps or cargo nets. Debris can escape from gaps.
- Remove loose material and trash before driving.
- Don’t overload – keep materials level with your truck bed.
- Put light items lower and tie large items to the vehicle for traffic safety.
