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Silicon Valley is being turned into notorious dumping site as furious millionaire locals speak out about trash including tractor tires, porn DVDs and even dead GOATS

3 months ago 20
  • The San Martin Neighborhood Association formed their own pick-up group
  • They reported gathering tons of trash and dumped items over the years

By Martha Williams For Dailymail.Com

Published: 15:30 BST, 29 May 2024 | Updated: 15:54 BST, 29 May 2024

Residents of a Silicon Valley village have been left furious after being forced to clean up tons of trash themselves because their county refuses to help.

San Martin, a census-designated rural town in Santa Clara, California, is home to around 6,000 residents. In 2017, the locals from the neighborhood's association were fed-up with being stuck with sprawling piles of trash scattered across the town.

Residents, who could call the county only to help with large junk items like furniture or broken-down trails, were left to deal with the everyday litter and debris that slowly turned their streets into a notorious dumping site. 

Adding to the problem of the dramatic loads of rubbish across town is a small dump - which becomes an issue when the weather gets windy as trash is blown everywhere.

Seven years ago, a clean-up group was formed by residents who decided to pick up the garbage themselves.    

Residents of a Silicon Valley village have been left furious after being forced to clean up tons of trash themselves because their county refuses to help

San Martin, a census-designated rural town in Santa Clara, California , is home to around 6,000 residents. In 2017, the locals from the neighborhood's association were fed-up with being stuck with sprawling piles of trash scattered across the town

A few dozen volunteers gather twice a year to deal with the trash - an unfavorable job that is sweetened slightly by free food and prizes for the biggest and weirdest pieces of rubbish, according to Mercury News

'We're unincorporated, we don't have a governing body that's local, so we're the citizenship putting in the time,' said resident Liz Paredes Bahnsen. 'This is my home. This is my backyard, this is my front yard. Let's keep it clean.' 

Their efforts have expanded over the years and the small group of trash-cleaners have gathered tons of rubbish over the years, with a record of 7.7 tons being set in 2019. 

A few dozen volunteers gather twice a year to deal with the trash - an unfavorable job that is sweetened slightly by free food and prizes for the biggest and weirdest pieces of rubbish

Locals have banded together after their county refused to help with the waste problem

Some of the weirdest items include dead goats and chickens, tractor tires, satellite dishes, baby booties, porn DVDs, an entire car roof and many bottles of cheap vodka and Fireball. 

Residents take pride in their work for the community. 'We were brainstorming (about) 'if the county is not going to clean it up, what can we do?' said Sharon Luna, who helped lead this year's Trash Bash.   

'I have pride in my community. It's a beautiful area,' says resident Pamela Courtney, standing with the rolling hills of the South Valley behind her. 'I want people when they drive through to think that people care about it.' 

San Martin is not the only community facing a garbage crisis. In 2020, the California Department of Transportation reported spending over $100million on clean-ups.

Caltrans cleaned up 1.3 million bags of trash along state highways. Gabe Molina, Superintendent of Roads and Airports for the southern section of the county, said that trash and dumping is an issue all over Santa Clara County.

Some of the weirdest items include dead goats and chickens, tractor tires, satellite dishes, baby booties, porn DVDs, an entire car roof and many bottles of cheap vodka and Fireball

'It's really hard for us to send a crew out to go pick up papers when we have bigger scale work to do,' he said. 

His department helps provide the volunteers with supplies like buckets, garbage bags and safety cones. 'I think the unique part about it is for the residents to care enough to volunteer and help clean up.' 

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