Clean Tahoe dealing with bears in trash

Clean Tahoe has responded to a record-breaking number of animal-in-trash incidents in the past month.

In the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 the South Shore nonprofit cleaned and issued courtesy notices for 265 animal-in-trash incidents, and issued warning notices to more than 200 additional animal-in-trash incidents. In the last year 603 yards of litter and debris were picked up. That’s more than six football fields of trash.

In addition to general roadside litter, field crew responded to 153 illegal dumping incidents and picked up:

• 112 pieces of large furniture
• 131 pieces of small furniture
• 121 mattresses
• 256 TVs/computer monitors
• 36 tires
• 24 appliances.

During the September river cleanup 1,366 pounds of trash and recyclables were collected. Items included:

• Cigarette butts: 3,691
• Beverage bottles (glass and plastic): 274
• Food wrappers (candy, chips, etc.): 950
• Bottle caps (plastic and metal): 1,006
• Plastic bags: 244
• Straws: 195
• Take-out containers: 101
• Plastic lids: 178
• Cups and plates: 211
• Balloons: 53
• Pieces of construction material: 75
• Tobacco wrappers/packaging: 81.

Volunteers also found part of car bumper, kitchen appliances, a dining room chair, rebar, a degraded buoy weight, and other large items.

Call 530.544.4210 if neighbors are leaving trash out or fill out this form. Field crews will clean the mess and provide educational materials for the property owner about securing their trash appropriately. Repeat offenders will be referred to the proper code enforcement agency.