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The city of Oakland is bringing out the big guns in an attempt to clean up the mountains of illegal trash on its streets
A massive grappling truck — known as the “Lightning Loader” — has been deployed by local officials to scoop up nearly 34,000 pounds of trash across the city.
At 33rd Street and San Pablo Avenue in West Oakland, massive loads of trash piled for two months until the “Lightning Loader” quickly clawed everything away.
Large amounts of concrete and wood were also present, making it difficult for residents to freely walk in front of their homes.
“It’s exciting to me. I was so pleased walking out here and seeing all the helpers and the machine going. Yes, it means a lot. It means that my neighborhood is getting better,” one resident told KPIX.
“This changed the game — a lot. And it also saves your back for the physical labor. But the scoops, it picks up so much at one time. It makes everything a lot faster,” a worker who operates the lightning loader also said.
What usually takes an agonizing hour of labor only took 10 minutes to clear out, according to the worker.
The city owns two similar trucks, but both are older models that required repairs. As a result, officials began renting out the grappling truck for $7,500 a month and plans to receive another one in the coming days.
To combat illegal dumping, Oakland is also deploying three new environmental enforcement officers to catch suspects.
“With the cameras that we’re having — that I’m strategically placing around my district — where a lot of the dumping happens. We’re starting to make more citations so that people know, don’t come here with your trash,” City Council Member Carroll Fife said.
Along with the illegal dumping, Oakland has an estimated 4,410 homeless people and over 1,900 different locations home to encampments.
While homelessness decreased by 20% over the past two years, Oakland still has one of the biggest homeless populations in California.
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