Mural in S.F.’s Bayview aims to curb illegal motor-oil dumping

Leaders of the San Francisco neighborhood that sees more motor oil illegally dumped in its gutters and vacant lots than any other place in the city are turning to a new tactic to halt the hazardous practice — art.

A massive mural unveiled Thursday in the Bayview district aims to curb the practice of dumping waste into one of the city’s poorest neighborhoods.

The 100-foot-long community mural — created by funds from a state grant — is a dramatic depiction of the mass amounts of oil leaking into San Francisco Bay and its ill effects on marine life.

City officials at the unveiling said it’s partially an advertisement for 311, which people can call to report illegal dumping.

City officials and community members say it’s typically businesses from outside the area doing the dumping.

City officials estimate that between 2012 and 2014, clean-up crews collected more than 6,000 gallons of abandoned motor oil from across San Francisco, half of which was found in the Bayview.