What do illegal dumping, unemployment among ex offenders, and recycling have in common?
They all three represents serious challenges facing Indy residents, and represent three opportunities to collaborate and problem solve.
Over the past few months, the City of Indianapolis' Dept of Public Works, Dept of Business and Neighborhood Services, and the Dept of Community Development have created a unique partnership with Keys to Work Staffing and Recycleforce. These 2 private sector organizations specialize in hiring ex offenders and teaching them job skills. Recycleforce specifically, a District 17 Business that is expanding, processes old and discarded electronics to harvest valuable metals.
In this partnership, the city has joined forces with these organizations to create a pilot program to assist in addressing the thousands of calls the city receives to remediate the scourge of illegal dumping.
In 2018, DPW’s operations team employed Keys To Work staff to close out a backlog of nearly 3,000 resident-reported cases of illegal dumping in alleys, medians, roadways, and greenways. Last year, this program, along with other citywide clean up efforts with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful (KIB), Marion County Community Corrections Duvall Residential Center and numerous neighborhood groups, more than 159 tons of trash were removed from Indianapolis neighborhoods.
On Monday, December 31st, the City of Indianapolis announced not only the success of the pilot but that we will be expanding the program citywide! In addition to this unique partnership that turns challenges into resources, the city will be employing technology and forensic sciences to determine the origins of the illegal dumping and hold those offenders accountable for literally trashing our neighborhoods.
BNS also utilized advance enforcement efforts and crack down on illegal dumping. With the help of DPW, the department placed a camera in areas known as illegal dumping hot spots. The camera enabled BNS to collect photos that helped in the successful prosecution of four illegal dumping cases.
Neighborhood residents are encouraged to be vigilant, watch out for both dumping and dumpers, and to report any and all illegal dumping as soon as it occurs.
The City of Indianapolis, DPW and BNS have valued the relationships built with community service providers, offering training and opportunities for men and women looking to reenter the workforce. With renewed partnerships for 2019 with RecycleForce and Keys to Work, city agencies will work to expand services for Indianapolis neighborhoods.
Let's hope the city can continue to think outside the box to solve other issues like tall grass and weeds and vacant/abandoned houses.
To report trash or illegal dumping, contact the Mayor’s Action Center (MAC) at 317-327-4MAC (4622), online at RequestIndy (www.indy.gov/requestindy), or download the RequestIndy Mobile App.