Terms of Use
Effective date: July 14, 2026
These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern your use of socaldesertcleanup.org and the SoCal Desert Cleanup Report Illegal Dumping web application (together, the “Services”). By using the Services, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Services.
Purpose of the Services
The Services help SoCal Desert Cleanup (“SCDC,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) document illegal dumping locations, identify trends, measure the scale of the problem, educate the public, support research and advocacy, and coordinate with community partners or public agencies.
A submitted report is not a cleanup service request. Submission does not guarantee that SCDC, a government agency, a landowner, or any other organization will inspect, investigate, respond to, or clean the reported location.
Emergencies and hazardous conditions
Do not use the Services to report an emergency, active crime, fire, immediate threat, medical emergency, or urgent hazardous-material incident. For emergencies, call 911 or the appropriate public authority. Do not touch, move, open, or approach suspected hazardous waste, weapons, drugs, needles, chemicals, unstable debris, or other dangerous materials.
Safe and lawful reporting
- Do not trespass, enter closed or restricted areas, stop in unsafe traffic conditions, or put yourself or others at risk to obtain a location or photograph.
- Submit information you reasonably believe is accurate and relevant.
- Do not knowingly submit false, misleading, harassing, defamatory, unlawful, or fraudulent reports.
- Do not upload malware, obscene material, confidential documents, or content that violates another person’s privacy, copyright, trademark, or other rights.
- Avoid including faces, license plates, private residences, personal documents, or other identifying information unless it is necessary to document the dumping site.
- Do not attempt to disrupt, overload, reverse engineer, or gain unauthorized access to the Services or related systems.
Your submissions
You keep any ownership rights you may have in the descriptions and photographs you submit. By submitting content, you confirm that you have the right to share it and grant SCDC a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, reproduce, analyze, adapt, redact, map, display, distribute, and use it for SCDC’s nonprofit mission, including research, education, grant applications, advocacy, reporting, and coordination with agencies or community partners.
We may remove, redact, combine, correct, decline, or retain submissions at our discretion. We may use de-identified or aggregated report information without identifying the person who submitted it. We do not promise that any submission will remain confidential, although we do not intend to publicly display optional contact information with a report.
Privacy
Our collection and use of personal information are described in our Privacy Policy. You may report anonymously by leaving optional contact fields blank.
Third-party services and links
The Services may use or link to third-party maps, hosting, email, storage, donation, or other services. We do not control and are not responsible for the availability, content, security, accuracy, or privacy practices of third-party services. Their separate terms and policies may apply.
No warranties
The Services and their content are provided “as is” and “as available.” To the fullest extent permitted by law, SCDC makes no warranty that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, accurate, complete, or suitable for a particular purpose. Maps, coordinates, reports, and third-party information may be delayed, incomplete, or inaccurate.
Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, SCDC and its directors, officers, volunteers, contractors, and partners will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from use of or reliance on the Services, inability to use the Services, conditions at a reported location, or actions taken by third parties. Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot legally be excluded.
Changes and termination
We may update, suspend, restrict, or discontinue any part of the Services and may revise these Terms. The effective date above shows when these Terms were last updated. Continued use after an update means you accept the revised Terms.
Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-law rules, except where applicable law requires otherwise.
Contact us
Questions about these Terms may be sent to report@socaldesertcleanup.org.