On Sept. 17, 2025, a Nextdoor user posted about three taco trucks on the corner of Taylor Way and Glenn Way in San Carlos dumping their cooking oil into nearby storm drains. According to the San Carlos Sheriff’s Department, the food truck denied these claims, but the event sparked discussion on proper waste disposal.
These storm drains are a system of infrastructure made to clear groundwater from streets and sidewalks. Storm drains, different from sanitary sewers, bring any drainage directly to streams, rivers and lakes. If anything other than water is drained, it can have serious implications on the surrounding environment, such as destroying habitats, halting photosynthesis and endangering public health. Students and teachers, as well as one of our local taco trucks, weighed in on the issue of waste disposal and preservation of the local environment.
Sujatha Mallampati is a junior and a member of the Green Academy. The Green Academy is a program that includes the core academic classes while putting an emphasis on the environment in science and electives. It aims to inspire students to advocate for the environment and prepare them for careers in that field.
“I think a lot of people aren’t aware how their waste management affects an environment or an ecosystem that’s near them,” Mallampati said. “It’s really easy for people to … think, ‘Oh, it’s just a storm drain’ … but it does impact the local environment.”
The incident was reported to the sheriff’s office, but the Nextdoor user said that the cop who responded did not record the license plate or take any statements. According to the San Carlos Sheriff’s Department, those working at the food truck said they had only dumped ice into the drain. Regardless, it sparked responses from the local community about the necessity of pollution control. The Nextdoor post received 31 comments from people discussing proper waste disposal and similar experiences. Ann Akey is an Advanced Placement Environmental Science teacher. She explained how there are places that take food oils, including San Carlos ecology.
“We don’t want people putting paint down the storm drains, so we provide places where they can drop it off for free,” Akey said. “[This] protects the creek and it saves the money.”
Shoreway Environmental Center, San Mateo County Household Hazardous Waste and Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste are some of our nearby waste disposal centers.
“I don’t think that this talk of pollution is causing a super noticeable spike in pollution in our ecosystem,” Mallampati said. “But if we want to preserve our ecosystems to the best of our ability, then we’re going to need to be a lot more careful of how we manage our waste.”
Dumping anything into storm drains is illegal according to the California State Water Resource Control Board. Alva’s food truck on Woodside Road is partnered with the Commissary Kitchen, which enables them a place to dispose of their liquid waste.
“Every night, once we pack up, [and] once we get to our commissary kitchen, that’s where we dump it all out safely,” one of the workers at the food truck said.
However, the disposal process is time-consuming, and according to the food truck, workers can take 20 minutes to get it to the waste area daily.
“With regard to this [oil] situation, there was a very famous statement from the ‘60s and ‘70s, ‘there is no away,’” Akey said. “There is no away, eventually we have to deal with [our things] … Being cognizant of the fact, we buy things, we discard things, we tend not to think of where they came from, but they always come back.”
