Editable-Baltimore's Fair Development Plan for Zero Waste - Flipbook - Page 38
Reclaim Communities
More than 10,000 tons of trash is illegally dumped in Baltimore City every year, and this unacceptably
high level of dumping disproportionately impacts Black and poor communities. Underlying this dumping
crisis is Baltimore’s staggering number of vacant lots and buildings coupled with the 2nd highest eviction
rate in the nation. The recently published “Top Ten Illegal Dumpers List” was comprised mostly of
property holding limited liability corporations and construction debris haulers. This status quo costs the
City money and residents’ equity, and is an ongoing threat to public safety. A study of Philadelphia’s
estimated 40,000 vacant properties gives us an idea of what the costs are. Researchers found that vacant
properties reduce a home’s value by an average of $8,000 per home, cost the City $20 million annually in
maintenance costs, and deprive the City of $2 million a year in tax revenue.32 By going to the roots of the
problem and investing in solutions, we can build an alternative housing and development economy.
In addition to the lost equity and loss of tax revenue to Baltimore, residents and City leaders have long
expressed concerns about public safety. In 2010 the Baltimore Sun reported “Abandoned Homes Tax
Baltimore Fire Department,” describing the 15% of all fires that occurred on vacant property.33 In 2020
this 15% figure still has not changed. On January 3, 2020, four fires broke out within 2 miles of each other
in West Baltimore, displacing at least one resident and injuring a firefighter. Councilman Kristerfer Burnett
who represents the West Baltimore neighborhood where these fires occurred said, “These are the things
that keep people up at night.” 34
Baltimore’s Fair Development Plan for Zero Waste
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