KANSAS
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & ENVIRONMENT
BILL GRAVES, GOVERNOR
Gary R. Mitchell, Secretary
For Immediate Release
Contact: Mike Heideman, 785-296-1529
Battle Against Illegal Dumping Involves Detective Work, Persistence
Special to the Salina Journal
SALINA -- Saline County Sheriff Glen Kochanowski says it happens about once a week: trash is dumped illegally in roadside ditches, at dead ends or off bridges into gulleys and creeks.
The fight against illegal dumping seems to never end. It is a crime that usually occurs under cover of darkness and without witnesses. But Saline County frequently catches, prosecutes and convicts violators. If guilty, illegal dumpers may be sentenced to jail time and be fined up to $500.
The best way to discouraging illegal dumping is to catch and convict illegal dumpers, quickly clean up the sites where dumping occurs and stay vigilant, Kochanowski said.
Conscientious citizens are often the first to strike back, offering tips of illegal dumping or even catching the culprits in the act. Although getting a license plate number or vehicle description doesn't often happen, it can make a strong case in court. Usually the evidence necessary for a conviction is easy to come by.
"More often than not, deputies find enough evidence to make a case against dumpers by sifting through the debris," Kochanowski said. "They find old letters, credit card receipts or something else that ties the trash to the suspects."
Confronted with evidence and the strong possibility of paying a fine or going to jail, some dumpers opt to clean up the mess they made. If they don't, Saline County Road and Bridge crews clean up the remaining trash before it gets soaked with rain, blown by the wind or washed away. With large dump sites, the county will occasionally enlist the aid of Saline County Jail inmates brought in for supervised outdoor work.
Jerry Fowler, Saline County Public Works Director, said swift cleanup helps in another way. A cleaned-up area doesn't attract repeated dumping. Once it is obvious a site is being used for dumping, it attracts more illegal dumping. If the problem persists, sometimes the county will put up signs warning against illegal dumping. But Fowler said that sometimes works against the cleanup efforts. The signs themselves help advertise the site as a place to dump.
Kansas Department of Health and Environment officials also are members of the team fighting illegal dumping. Ron Smith, head of compliance for KDHE's Technical Support Section, said the dumping problem stems in part from the closure of local dumps and the changeover to landfills and transfer stations, a process that began more than 20 years ago.
"As dumps closed and transfer stations opened, people didn't have as many places to take their refuse, discarded appliances and old tires," Smith said. "Some people didn't want to spend the money or time to properly dispose of these items. When it costs money to dispose of something, then we continue to have a problem."
Roadside trash picked up in Saline County has declined substantially over the past two years. While Fowler believes it may be just the luck of the draw, there are indications that the team effort to thwart dumping may be paying dividends. In 1996, county crews picked up more than 104 tons of dumped debris, costing $2,298 in landfill fees. Last year crews gathered 20.5 tons, spending only $894 to place it in the landfill. While there were more tires dumped in 1997 (253) than in 1996 (106), discarded refrigerators dropped dramatically, from 40 in 1996 to four last year.
"The landfill won't accept refrigerators unless they have the refrigerant purged from the system," Fowler said. Most places were charging $25 or more to remove the refrigerant before issuing a certificate of removal to allow discarding the appliance at the landfill, he said.
"But last year a scrap dealer in Saline County began accepting refrigerators at no charge and removing the refrigerant for recycling. He then got money for both the recycled refrigerant and the scrap metal in the refrigerators." Fowler said that conscientious recycler helped everybody -- including himself.