By Matt Sepic, KWMU
St. Louis – St. Louis city officials say they're cracking down on landlords who dump evicted tenants' belongings on public property.
Starting Monday, any landlord who does that could face a $500 fine or 90 days in jail.
Alderman Stephen Gregali says anti-dumping laws have been on the books for a long time, but they've rarely been used to prosecute landlords.
"I think it was sometimes an oversight," Gregali said. "I think it happens quite often. We were looking at what state law says, because the city doesn't really have a tenant-landlord ordinance. These are strictly ordinances that are about health, safety and litter."
Gregali says landlords who need to clean out an apartment should hire a licensed hauler or take the belongings to a city trash station.
The city spends about $300,000 a year on post-eviction cleanup.