City crews removed nearly 13 million pounds of trash and hazardous waste from Los Angeles' MacArthur Park in the past year, according to records obtained by The California Post. The extensive cleanup effort, which involved over 7,000 operations, underscores persistent issues of homelessness, drug use, and sanitation challenges within the park.
Sanitation workers collected more than 6,359 tons of debris throughout 2025. Among the waste removed were 142,329 pounds of human waste, nearly 24,000 pounds of discarded syringes and sharps, and over 107,000 pounds of flammable materials. The hazardous materials also included corrosive chemicals, toxins, poisons, petroleum products, compressed gases, and reactive chemicals requiring specialized disposal.
The park, located in Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez's district, has been a focal point for debates surrounding the city's approach to homelessness and harm reduction programs. Critics argue that city-funded programs distributing syringes and crack pipes have contributed to the park's deteriorated condition. Bill Essayli, a federal prosecutor, stated that these programs do not work and that tax dollars would be better allocated to combating drug use, building shelters, and providing treatment.
Despite efforts like a publicized cleanup initiative in March featuring Mayor Karen Bass, subsequent visits to the park revealed continued littering and debris. The situation has been exacerbated by incidents such as the May arrest of an individual associated with a nonprofit receiving city funds for homelessness services, who was found with alleged fentanyl and methamphetamine. Raul Claros, a community advocate, called for an end to needle distribution and a focus on restoring the park.
Longtime residents and business owners have reported encountering disturbing items during cleanups, including animal remains, drug paraphernalia, and contaminated belongings. The city's CARE+ program, which temporarily closes park sections for intensive cleaning, conducted 7,111 operations in MacArthur Park last year.
The cleanup logs detail numerous contaminations, including mold, bodily fluids, human waste, blood, and rodent and insect infestations. Workers frequently encountered multiple hazards simultaneously, such as biohazards mixed with discarded needles and toxic chemicals.
The city's broader CARE and CARE+ cleanup programs received over $53 million in funding for the fiscal year, including administrative costs. The scale of the issues in MacArthur Park has prompted increased enforcement actions. In the month prior to the report, federal and local authorities launched Operation Free MacArthur Park, targeting the park's open-air drug market with multiple operations involving arrests and warnings to dealers.
Mayor Bass acknowledged that the concerns at MacArthur Park have been developing for decades and affirmed her administration's commitment to working with the City Council to enhance safety. This includes increased sanitation services, law enforcement, and crime prevention strategies aimed at creating cleaner conditions for residents and businesses. DEA Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Anthony Chrysanthis expressed a desire for criminal elements to be removed so the city can invest in beautifying the area for law-abiding citizens.