Illegal Dumping at Recycling Centers

When used for their intended purpose, recycling drop-off centers can be a very useful and valuable aid in getting rid of excess recycling. This is especially true if you do not subscribe to a residential curbside recycling program or have larger quantities that may not fit into your residential recycling bins.

This is the obvious intended purpose of the drop-off centers but misuse of these collection centers or blatant abuse or disregard of the intended purpose can mean some pretty stiff penalties. Environmental pollution, fines, and even having the recycling drop-off center removed from the premises completely can occur if these collection sites are not properly used and maintained.

Recycling drop-off centers are for just that….recycling.  Only recyclable materials are to be left at these sites and anything other than that is considered “dumping” and can be treated as littering, polluting, and can either be a misdemeanor or a felony, depending on such factors as the amount and type of waste, whether it was dumped by a business or an individual, and if there are any prior convictions for the same offense.

“Illegal dumping has become an increasingly large problem throughout the United States. Offenders often dump late at night to avoid the cost and inconvenience of proper waste disposal.

Because the dumping of garbage, household appliances, abandoned automobiles, construction and demolition debris, hazardous materials, and other waste endangers public health, states have enacted a variety of laws designed to address the problem.

The definition of illegal dumping varies by state, but usually involves one of the following scenarios:

• dumping waste on public or private property that is not licensed or permitted to receive waste
• dumping waste, without a license or permit, into sewers or waterways, or
• allowing another to dump waste on one’s land, without being licensed to receive such waste.

The federal government has also passed multiple laws designed to protect the environment. These federal laws, such as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, have complex permitting requirements and typically apply to large volumes of hazardous waste.” 

Some deterrents to this type of dumping are regular police patrol in and around these recycling centers, working cameras, and stiff penalties being imposed for thos caught dumping illegally.

Police patrol is somewhat effective but lacks the consistency in these centers being constantly monitored. Unless someone is there all day and all night, which is not very practical, people could wait for the officer to leave then go dump their trash before they drove back by.

Working cameras are certainly a little more effective if they are actually taking video footage and are able to capture images such as faces, vehicles, and license plates, even in the dark.  

Prosecution of these crimes is a great deterrent if people know that it will happen if they get caught...not just the threat of it. As soon as word gets around that people are paying very stiff fines for illegal dumping, it will keep others from doing it so readily.

The very best way to keep people from dumping illegally at recycling drop-off centers is to provide both trash containers in close proximity to these collection centers, as well as education on what types of materials are accepted in these containers.

For more information on recyclable materials visit www.wasteawaygroup.com.

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