Help Map America’s Trash System
See a commercial dumpster or waste enclosure? Take one photo, answer three quick questions and help build a better picture of how commercial waste areas interact with rain and stormwater.
Community observations are educational and participatory. They are not regulatory inspections or findings of violation.
How it works
The public action should take about 20 to 30 seconds.
The first verified observation can launch a new city challenge.
If your city has not been founded yet, the first verified mapper can receive permanent City Founder recognition and first opportunity to become City Captain. Founder status is based on verification, not who uploads fastest.
You can map anonymously. If you want Founder recognition, include your email in the form so we can contact you after verification.
Map one location.
This educational mapping form helps staff review commercial waste areas and improve data-quality and privacy safeguards. Our Temecula pilot aims to verify 500 distinct locations; the separate Temecula vs. Franklin Race to 500 is not yet open. First time? Read our one-photo, three-question quick-start guide before submitting.
Temecula pilot goal: 500 distinct, staff-verified commercial waste locations. This is not the live two-city prize scoreboard.
Provisional pilot-feed locations: Checking…. Follow-up and duplicate observations are tracked separately. The displayed pilot total comes from the program summary feed; reconciliation against staff-reviewed unique-site records is still pending.
Race to 500 proposed founding prize sponsor: The owner-approved Steel Building USA $500 prize-budget design allocates $250 to each city. Funding and prize inventory are not yet verified as received. The race and prizes are not open; official rules, funding, staff review and explicit authorization are required.
Do not trespass, enter gated enclosures, open lids, climb into dumpsters, touch waste, interfere with collection vehicles or put yourself in traffic to get a photo.
Selecting “No, keep it private” does not authorize public publication of your observation, photo or exact location. A submission goes to private staff review; public area summaries may be shared only under the program's approved privacy rules. Exact site pins or identifying photos require separate affirmative site-level authorization. The public map does not automatically publish your submitted location.
Add a community observation
One photo. Three questions. Your email is optional. Field submissions are for adults 18+ only. Minors may take part in educational activities only with school or guardian supervision, subject to staff confirmation of eligibility and permission; do not submit a field report for a minor. Do not include faces, readable license plates, student records or personal details about others in photos or notes. Participation does not promise a job or professional certification.
Use this button while at the dumpster area to capture the private GPS location needed for automated mapping. Exact coordinates are not displayed on the public map by default. If GPS does not respond inside an in-app browser, open this page directly in Safari and try again. Wait for the Location captured privately message before submitting. If your device cannot share its location, request a private address-only review.
Photo required for automatic mapping. JPEG, PNG, WebP or HEIC/HEIF, maximum 10 MB. Photograph from a lawful, safe location; exclude people, plates and identifying details.
Your picture is sent only through the protected photo-upload route for private staff review, not through the general WordPress contact-form file uploader.
Add up to four more views of this same dumpster. Keep people and license plates out of every photograph. Originals remain private.
0 additional photos selected (maximum 4).
Important after submitting: A regular form or email confirmation alone does not mean your private photo was saved. Keep this page open until you see Your observation and photograph are saved for private staff review. If that separate confirmation does not appear, please contact the team before trying again.
What could these conditions mean?
Educational feedback appears here as you answer the three questions. It is based on your answers, not an AI determination from the photo and not a regulatory finding.
Your observation is private and awaiting human review. Race to 500 is not open, and submissions received before its authorized opening will not earn retroactive contest credit. You can still help the educational mapping effort today.
Sponsor a Community Mapping Challenge
Local companies can help fund a defined community challenge and provide cash or in-kind prizes. Regional and national partners can later underwrite larger mapping missions. Secure Structure Alliance controls verification, rules and winner determination.
What a Challenge Partner can help produce
- Verified community observations
- Participation by community and team
- Education delivered after observations
- Structured mapping missions
- Follow-up observations and verified improvements
- A post-challenge Community Impact Report using verified records only
Responsible mapping notice: Community observations are submitted for education, research and community-awareness purposes. They are not regulatory inspections, findings of violation or determinations that a particular business or property has discharged pollutants. Secure Structure Alliance and Adopt-A-Dumpster™ are independent organizations and are not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency unless a formal relationship is expressly identified.