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Council members press staff on mattress dumping and litter; staff to add reporting portal and share OpTech schedule
Summary
Councilmember Tara Graves raised repeated constituent complaints about dumping and litter. Staff said OpTech and county contractors respond on schedules but will provide the committee with a list of streets OpTech routinely services and work with communications to add a dedicated litter‑report link on the city website.
Councilmember Tara Graves told the TIPS Committee on Aug. 13 that residents have repeatedly called about illegal dumping and recurring litter in multiple neighborhoods and along industrial corridors. She asked what more the city can do to respond faster.
Staff response and existing contracts: Deputy City Manager Harry McCoy said the city uses a mix of county cleanup efforts and a contracted vendor (referred to during the meeting as OpTech or Optic) that provides more frequent service on a defined list of streets. McCoy said the county contractor performs pickups on a roughly six‑week cycle in some locations while the city contractor comes more often. He told the committee staff will circulate the list of streets OpTech currently services so council members can decide whether to add more locations or increase frequency.
Reporting and IT: The committee asked for an easier way for residents to report litter and dumping. Staff confirmed the city currently receives service requests through a web form and email; they agreed to create a clearly labeled “Report litter/dumping” link or form on the city website and to route those reports to the appropriate operations inbox so they can be converted to work orders and sent to OpTech or code enforcement.
Enforcement and evidence: Council members noted instances of mattress and bulk furniture dumping and damaged MARTA shelters. Staff advised residents to take photographs and video of dumping when safe to do so and to submit the evidence through the reporting tool; staff said photographic evidence helps enforcement and contractor prioritization.
Why it matters: Litter and repeated illegal dumping affect small businesses, commercial corridors and residential neighborhoods; council members asked staff to be proactive rather than reactive and to consider budgetary increases for higher‑frequency cleanup in chronic hotspots.
