Monday, December 23, 2013

San Jose Bag Ban almost two years later does it reduce litter at all? Photos taken from Eastside to Downtown San Jose shows otherwise

These photos are taken on Dec 22, 2013. After a number of windy days. Most pictures were taken between the Evergreen area (Quimby Rd & Capital Expressway area) to downtown SJ(10th and 11th) streets.



pieces of scrapped paper products gathered in front of a house on Vestal Street between 11st street and 12th street.


Notice the median of the Expressway have random litter in the middle no bags though

A very trashed onramp from Capital Expressway north to 680 south.  This includes a homeless encampment of course very trashed with bags and other trash. These bags are not covered under the ban though.

Look closely for trash and debris going up the 680 south ramp from Capital Expressway

Quimby Rd heading west from White Road toward Capital Expressway look at the pieces of trash along the sidewalk

11th street right headed north restaurant parking lot before Williams street intersection check out the piles of garbage  


11th street heading northbound toward William trashed lot. As expected most garbage are not banned though banning cup containers one by one would not rid of piles of litter issue. 




The bag is what you find packaging the foods within the aisles of supermarkets unless we regulate the plastic industry itself banning one type of bag would not impact the thousand others. 

Empty lot on 11th street prior to Williams street.

Vestal Street between 1 1st street and 12th street. a trashed fence side 
11st street between Vestal street and Hedding street. Industral lot littered 


Severe mountains of trash at the end t intersection of 1 1st street and Hedding street. 

Mountains of Trash on Hedding street at the end of 1 1st

Close up view of this trash heap that plagues many parts of San Jose

View from the Intersection 

Close up view of the litter which is comprised with many different articles of course the ban does not cover

Very close view of the garbage and shopping cart.
If we would pay homeless per piece or per pound of all garbage/recyclables not just CRC items our cities would be much cleaner. Its a much better idea than product bans which won't make a dent in the big picture. 

Pentencia Creek Light Rail station by Capital Avenue

View east from Penitencia Creek Light rail station this pile of garbage is beside the creek.  

Looking west at Penitencia creek from Penitencia Creek light rail station. 

Abandoned shopping cart from Kmart in Penitencia Creek light rail station
Dash cam videos/images from different dates in December



Going up the onramp of i680 from Capital expressway getting off at McKee Rd west offramp look at the mountains of garbage on the side of the road. Its definitely not better than pre ban years and seems worse.


Las Palmas Avenue between King rd. and educational park drive look at the garbage piling up on the side of the road including some very large junked items and shopping cart

 Schulte Dr. beside Lower silver creek drainage ditch. Look at the heavy amounts of litter lining the creek.

Mountains of trash lining the streets in my relatively quiet up the hill neighborhood















A water bottle and a random piece of paper

Food packaging on gutter on Murillo Ave.









a protective bag?

Unidentified plastic bags resembling bin liners or other protective bags not covered by ban

Another unidentified bag though it is confirmed to be not grocery or retail related



Random pieces of garbage on Springbrook Ave between Murillo ave and Slopeview dr.





















Crushed aluminum can on the dead end section of Murillo Ave past Norwood ave/Mount Pleasant Rd



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Random paper garbage lining the side of Murillo Ave between Norwood Ave/ Mt Pleasant Rd.

While this section of Murillo Ave is often a hot spot for illegal dumping however I don't think thats the case this week.

This instant cupanoodle bowl had been found in many parts of the neighborhood including slopeview ave. Sure sign that it fell out of the same garbage truck on collection run.

This section of Murillo is often a hot spot for residential dumping of many large and small unwanted refuse as big as sofas  big screen tvs, refrigerators, washers and dryers, etc. Though I believe the garbage this time flew out of garbage trucks.






Paper garbage and styrofoam container Murillo ave.

Food cardboard container

The plastic bag in the middle of all these garbage is the only bag that is confirmed to be a supermarket bag. Of all the garbage on this trip this is the only one that belongs to what eco fascists target as public enemy number one and the ones banned from distribution due to their outcry.


Random pieces of paper and other trash.




Broken Jamba juice cup.



McDonald's litter.


degraded cracking fastfood cups. Must had been there for a long time.

paper food container and other trash

Plastic zip lock bag and other plastic and other trash

Plastic packaging material and random paper or other material litter






Litter resembling plastic bags but not grocery or retail checkout bag. newspaper and newspaper bags can be visible



This is a Lee's Sandwich T Shirt bag. Restaurant bags are not covered under the San Jose ban.  Though in all cities regardless of ban or lack of plastic T shirt bags are actually very rare compared to all the other plastic litter I found. Though the majority I found are not covered by the ban I bet it had been used as a trash bag but fell out of the garbage truck and spilled all its garbage content. I believe it was neglected for a long time before it became in such bad shape.  Though every other garbage would degrade like this when neglected as my camera proves so don't single out these bags.

The dead end portion of Murillo Ave a lot of garbage collects here


This is not a grocery nor retail checkout bag possibly a bin liner or a restaurant bag. Or a so called protective bag. I believe it must had came out of a garbage truck.


This is not a plastic bag


These cup a noodle bowls on Slopeview ave. had been found in various parts of Murillo Ave such as where I shown before therefore it must strongly point out that it flew out of the same trash truck.

These resemble ones on Murillo ave. I doubt a litter bug would on purposely dump these in all these different locations. 
 Coyote Creek Trail around Tully Road near Tully community branch library.





Intersection between Tully road and La Ragione Ave

Coyote Creek sure looks like a waste dump



Blighted road side of Tully Road near Coyote Creek between Senter Rd and McLaughlin.

Most garbage resemble take out take out but there are many other in the mix as well.

Littered Tully Road

Litter along the side of Coyote Creek Trail

Piles of trash and shopping cart align the creek side.



Littered Creek side










Trashed Coyote Creek from Tully road over pass.

Overpass of Coyote Creek with litter. I find the litter situation has gotten worse since 2012. Therefore the ban is a complete failure. Many people once reused bags to keep other garbage in check. A number of them have lost this option, therefore resulting in more lose garbage on the streets. The serious unintentional consequence of fake environmentalism that ignores science.