Editorial: City efforts to combat street dumping must better reach UCLA students

Sofas and mattresses don’t belong on the streets. But tell that to the student struggling to get rid of unwanted furniture.

Westwood lives in a quadrennial flux. Amid the ever-changing student body and hubbub of graduation, North Village – where many students live – is marred by unwanted mattresses and discolored sofas. Councilmember Paul Koretz has taken to fighting against this illegal dumping. His efforts include organizing workshops to inform Westwood residents of the consequences of dumping bulky items on the side of the street – up to a $10,000 fine and even a six-month prison sentence.

But if Koretz hopes to address illegal dumping in full, he’ll need more than just workshops and grave warnings of the consequences. Conspicuous and far-reaching educational efforts – more street signs and more coordination with UCLA to better engage students with the issue – are the solution to solving Westwood’s dumping problem.

Furniture dumping has been a noticeable problem in the North Village area for quite some time. But in a community where only about 6 percent of registered voters went to the polls during March’s local election, it’s hard to see how Koretz can reach out to residents through workshops.

There are about six signs within North Village that are labeled with the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation’s phone number, which residents can call for free pickups of bulky items. However, it may not be clear to the average resident that the signs apply to furniture pickups. But that shouldn’t be a surprise, considering all these signs do is vaguely call on residents to keep the neighborhood clean.

And while such a misunderstanding is the fault of the resident, the fact that furniture dumping is still an issue demonstrates that the current measures don’t work. The typical resident – like a student – doesn’t understand or pay heed to these signs.

It’s mistaken, then, to think frightening residents during workshops with the consequences of dumping and better enforcement of historically unenforced, bulky item laws – the latter of which some members in City Hall eventually intend to do – is the best way to address this problem.

The solution instead lies in engaging the UCLA student body. UCLA’s ability to educate students would far outpace a city council member’s ability to reach those same students via workshops. The school can better inform off-campus students of the rules on dumping furniture and bulky items – and their consequences.

And revamping the current signs would help with this. Improving signs to make it clear that furniture dumping is illegal and can carry a prison term, similar to already existing pet waste signs in Westwood, would more effectively convey the gravity of the problem.

This isn’t to say that Koretz is completely in the wrong. According to Jasmine Shamolian, Koretz’ field deputy, the city is trying to better inform residents before pushing for greater enforcement of street dumping rules.

But workshops alone won’t get the sofas off the street, and Koretz needs to develop better methods to reach those who are actually guilty of illegal furniture dumping: students. It’s crucial Koretz develops an effective program through street signs and UCLA’s aid to raise awareness before the city moves on to greater enforcement.

Otherwise, North Village will continue to have damp, festering sofas to sit on outside.