Trashy LA

Trash on the streets of Los Angeles has increased 450% in the last 4 years. So says a recent report from the Los Angeles City Controller. Thousands of tons of trash and hazardous waste are being left on streets and sidewalks and along freeway ramps. Illegal dumping by businesses. Garbage from homeless encampments. One neighborhood covering nearly 4 square miles with a population of 70,000 people has only 7 city-maintained trash cans. All this in a city with a glossy, picture postcard reputation for beauty. But…. if you look very, very closely, the trash has beauty. And stories to tell. That trash started out as enticing packages of snacks in the neighborhood bodega. A baby once cried in that stroller dumped in a Valley parking lot. Someone once hugged that abandoned teddy bear. Let’s shine a light. Let’s see if there’s more than meets the eye to the eyesore that is the litter of Los Angeles.