Los Angeles’ trash problem is so severe that locals are now relying on one resident, Juan Naula, who quit his full time job to pick up the slack for the city.
Garbage in one of the nation’s largest cities is a major issue for many residents as homelessness and other factors contribute to the growing trash epidemic. Naula, who began posting about his volunteer trash cleanup efforts, has grown his social media following to more than 56,000. He documents his trash collected across the city as well as others who have joined him to clean up their neighborhoods.
Speaking with FOX11 on Sunday evening, Naula told the outlet the city has been falling short in addressing the crisis, questioning why residents now have to chase down the government to do its job.
“I wish a million people [were] doing this, because the city doesn’t want to do it,” Naula said. “Why [do] we have to chase them? Why?”
A study conducted by carpet cleaning company Oxi Fresh in May found the Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim area to be the second-dirtiest metro area in the United States, falling just behind New York–Newark–Jersey City. Another recent analysis by LawnStarter ranked Los Angeles as the second-dirtiest city in America, trailing only San Bernardino.
Videos posted by Naula show garbage piled up throughout Los Angeles, with some trash bags left in grocery carts by the Los Angeles River, piles of debris along railroad tracks and massive heaps of litter on sidewalk corners, with homeless tents visible behind them.
Naula told FOX11 that despite reporting trash sites through the city’s 311 app, garbage often remains on the streets for days or even weeks. Sites Naula has cleaned are sometimes littered with debris again the following week. When asked how bad the issue has become, he rated it an 11 on a scale of one to ten.
“We see human poop, rats, knives,” Naula said. “I try to call the city about three times, and they don’t come and clean.”
“It really frustrates me because I do the job, and then I have to chase them to come and pick up the trash,” Naula added.
In 2002, Los Angeles launched their 311 hotline in order to provide locals with to easier access to government services, acting as a one-stop shop for non-emergency service requests like trash, streets lights needing to be fixed and potholes to be filled.
In response to mass littering and homeless encampment debris, Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass launched a beautification initiative called ShineLA, which is intended to encourage community cleanup events as the Olympics, Super Bowl and World Cup are set to head to the major city. Since the launch, volunteers have planted trees, removed graffiti and picked up loose litter around the city.
Even with the 311 app and the new initiative, Naula told Fox11 that some local residents contact him personally in efforts to get rid of the debris in their neighborhoods.
“They are the city. They should have people riding around doing [311] reports: ‘Go clean here, go clean there,” Naula told FOX11.
“Whoever’s in charge, they have to train the people,” Naula said. “Why do people come and they don’t pick up trash?”
Naula did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Illegal dumping, including piles of construction debris and even hazardous waste, has grown exponentially across the city within the last year. Crosstown reports that District 8, which covers a large swath of South Los Angeles, saw a 57% increase at the start of the year.
According to the data, the district recorded 3,329 illegal dumpings between January and February; by comparison, there were only 2,118 during the same months in 2024. In addition to District 8’s spike, District 6, which covers parts of East Los Angeles, is up 60%, District 15 has risen 39% and District 13 is up 31%.
The latest Crosstown numbers follow years of growth in illegal dumping reports. From July to September 2024, there were 32,145 reports, a 22.8% spike compared to the previous three-month period. In 2023 alone, there were 95,732 illegal dumping reports, according to the outlet.
Along with Bass’ trash initiative, city officials are scrambling 9,800 homeless encampments, which includes tents, makeshift shelters and RVs, as the June 2026 deadline approaches.
Despite Bass’ renewed efforts, the Bureau of Sanitation is facing a shakeup heading into the new year, as the bureau’s top official, Barbara Romero, announced in October that she will be leaving the agency this month after four and a half years, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Bass did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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