MacArthur Park: 13 Million Pounds of Filth and Hazardous Waste Cleared Amidst Drug Crisis

Nearly 13 million pounds of trash and hazardous waste were yanked from Los Angeles' MacArthur Park last year, exposing the grim reality of a public space gone to hell.

City records show sanitation crews dragged out over 6,359 tons of filth in 2025, including a staggering 142,329 pounds of human waste. This is not just a cleanup; it’s a desperate attempt to reclaim a park drowning in debris.

Under the watch of Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez, MacArthur Park has become synonymous with homelessness and rampant drug use. Hernandez has funneled more than $27 million into city-funded programs that distribute syringes and crack pipes, further entrenching the park's status as a drug haven.

“These harm reduction programs, where tax dollars are spent on facilitating drug use by handing out syringes and keeping people addicted, do not work,” said Bill Essayli, LA's top federal prosecutor. His office has been working with law enforcement to combat the drug crisis in the park.

Essayli slammed the waste generated by these programs, arguing that taxpayer money would be better spent on combating drug use and building shelters instead of enabling addiction.

In early March, Hernandez showcased a video with LA Mayor Karen Bass promoting a major cleanup effort. However, just a week later, trash and debris from homeless encampments littered the ground once again.

A man connected to a nonprofit that received millions for homelessness assistance was arrested in May with fentanyl and meth in his vehicle, highlighting the failure of these initiatives.

“We don’t need more social experiments at MacArthur Park,” said Raul Claros of California Rising. He unsuccessfully challenged Hernandez for her council seat and called for an end to needle distribution in favor of restoring the park.

John Alle, a property owner in the area, described the horror of last year’s cleanup records. “Our team discovered half-carved rats, dead cats with blood from body punctures, wheelchair parts, discarded food, plastics, needles, bongs and liquor bottles,” he said. “Sadly, dead seagulls were the first level of crud floating on top.”

The city’s CARE+ program conducted 7,111 operations in MacArthur Park last year. Crews removed 142,329 pounds of human waste, nearly 24,000 pounds of discarded syringes, over 107,000 pounds of flammable materials, and nearly 42,000 pounds of corrosive chemicals among other hazardous materials.

In total, sanitation workers hauled away 12.7 million pounds of solid waste. The cleanup logs documented 2,713 mold contaminations and 1,483 bodily fluid contaminations among other health hazards.

City officials have not disclosed how much taxpayer money was spent on the CARE+ deployments. The city budgeted over $41 million for cleanup programs during the fiscal year, with total funding exceeding $53 million when administrative costs are included.

The findings reflect a dire situation: sprawling homeless encampments, open drug use, illegal dumping, violent crime, and mountains of trash plague MacArthur Park.

Councilwoman Hernandez has defended her approach to homelessness by emphasizing housing and social services. Her office did not respond to requests for comment.

Claros called for a full-scale biohazard cleanup and refurbishment of the park before reopening it with permanent park rangers and increased police presence.

For sanitation crews, dangers extend beyond trash. Many operations begin with safety briefings as workers prepare for hazardous conditions. Police often secure work zones while hazardous materials are removed before sanitation crews can start cleaning.

The records indicate that MacArthur Park requires one of the most intensive sanitation operations in Los Angeles.

Federal and local authorities have ramped up enforcement in the park. Last month, the DEA and LAPD launched Operation Free MacArthur Park to target the open-air drug market.

“We want the criminals to know that it doesn’t matter when you go; we can show up and control the park whenever needed,” said DEA Special Agent Anthony Chrysanthis.

Nearly 100 federal agents and LAPD officers flooded the park during one nighttime operation, making arrests and warning dealers that they would continue returning.

Authorities claim repeated operations have disrupted drug trafficking in the park, which was once envisioned as LA’s answer to the Champs-Élysées before its decline in the 1980s.

“My hope is that as we continue to remove the criminal elements from the park, the city can increase its investments in cleaning and beautifying the area for law-abiding citizens,” Essayli stated.

Bass acknowledged that concerns in MacArthur Park “have been decades in the making” and emphasized efforts to create safer conditions for families and businesses.