Road being used as makeshift dump

[coachgrd]

Hello everyone. Every spring, my kids looks forward to "Clean-up ______ Road Day"...our unofficial attempt to pick up the trash that has collected over the winter on our mile long country road. We go down one side of the road about 1/4 of a mile, then turn around and clean up what's on the other side on the way back. We just throw a couple of garbage bags in the wagon attached to the JD 455. We usually get a couple of bags worth of stuff that mistakenly flew out of people's cars. (I started this little tradition in an attempt to get the kids out of the wife's hair and now it's something they ask about every spring.)

Anyway, the other 3/4 of the road has become a make-shift town dump within the past year. (There are only two houses on this mile-long dirt road.) One fellow lost 11 used tires out of the back of his truck! Another had a really big pile of shingles jump right out the bed. An a third lost the pile of junk they had in the truck. I'm so glad none of these things landed in the middle of the road. Weird how they all landed perfectly right along the roadside.

Anyway, I feel we go above and beyond in cleaning up our small portion of the road. Do you guys think the township is responsible for cleaning up the other? I realize the aren't in th garbage business but I am wondering if I should inquire about the possibility of having them send a man or two out here to dispose of the stuff properly. Any thoughts?

 

[kenstrac]

Hello everyone. Every spring, my kids looks forward to "Clean-up ______ Road Day"...our unofficial attempt to pick up the trash that has collected over the winter on our mile long country road. We go down one side of the road about 1/4 of a mile, then turn around and clean up what's on the other side on the way back. We just throw a couple of garbage bags in the wagon attached to the JD 455. We usually get a couple of bags worth of stuff that mistakenly flew out of people's cars. (I started this little tradition in an attempt to get the kids out of the wife's hair and now it's something they ask about every spring.)

Anyway, the other 3/4 of the road has become a make-shift town dump within the past year. (There are only two houses on this mile-long dirt road.) One fellow lost 11 used tires out of the back of his truck! Another had a really big pile of shingles jump right out the bed. An a third lost the pile of junk they had in the truck. I'm so glad none of these things landed in the middle of the road. Weird how they all landed perfectly right along the roadside.

Anyway, I feel we go above and beyond in cleaning up our small portion of the road. Do you guys think the township is responsible for cleaning up the other? I realize the aren't in th garbage business but I am wondering if I should inquire about the possibility of having them send a man or two out here to dispose of the stuff properly. Any thoughts?

Yes do in fact they are probably not aware of the situation and might make the police aware of what is being dumped along the road and when they see a suspicious vechile they might stop them and if this is done enough it might deter would be dumpers

Today trash tomorrow who knows they might be dumping hazardous material

 

[Thomas]

!00% agree w/kenstrac,or stack the trash beside the road contact your highway dept for pickup...not sure of ditch distance town/city will consider pvt. trash to landowners trash tho.
Tip of the hat to you and the family for doing the extra.

 

[LMTC]

The tires should have serial numbers that can be traced. Locally tire dumping is dealt with very seriously, and just dosn't happen on our rural roads much at all any more. An inconspicuous game cam might well catch a few dumpers, and the pics could provide law enforcement with at least enough implied leverage to get the dumper to come clean up.

 

[tallyho8]

I empathize with you. There is a landfill not too far from our home. The sides of the road are constantly littered by people who use these landfills. Either they are on the way to the landfill and they see a deserted stretch of road and decide to dump there to save the landfill fees, or they dump the items the landfill won't take, such as tires, batteries, TVs, etc.

Our civic group worked with the local landfill and got them to agree to send crews out on a regular basis to pick up the trash on the roads surrounding the landfill. They do a pretty good job, but as soon as they pick it all up, the next day someone dumps another load. I hate trashy people!

 

[EddieWalker]

The same thing goes on here, but fortunately not on my road. The people who were having the problem complained to the county commissioners and police, but nothing was being done. I'm sure the police patrolled the area, but there are only a few of them and allot of area to cover. They then went to the local TV news stations and one of them did a story on it. We saw that story, thought how terrible it was, but sort of didn't pay attention to it beyond that. The reporter for the station then went and interviewed the county commisioner for that are and the county judge. The comminsioner said she'd look into it and that dumping was a very big concern of hers. The county judge said on tape that there was no dumping going on in the county and that the reporter was wrong.

BIG MISTAKE!!!! The reporter then went out and filmed areas of dumping all over the county and played that tape with the county judge saying that there was no dumping going on in the county. All the other stations picked it up too and for awhile there, it was the main thing on the news. They interviewed the home owners, talked to the police and just about everybody they could find.

In the end, those dump areas were cleaned up, and the county judge was voted out of office. The new judge made dumping a priority in his campaign, while the judge in office was all over the place on dumping. She admitted it was a problem, then tried to correct her earlier statements that she never saw any dumping and that's what she meant when she said it didn't exist. Of course, she was toast and the reporter played both versions back to back to make her look even worse.

Contacting the news channels might help. It's worth a try as it did wonders here. I'm sure there is still dumping going on, but it hasn't been in the news lately and I haven't seen anything lately myself. It could also be that the new county judge is actually pushing the issue and cleaning things up when they are found.

Eddie

 

[2manyrocks]

Good to hear that a "see no dump, hear no dump, speak no dump" judge got the boot in your local election.

 

[wedge40]

This one of pet peeves. When I watch someone tossing something out of their car, or would that be losing something out of their car? I'd like to pick up a couple of bags of trash and go to their house and spread it all over their yard. Maybe then they'd think twice before tossing the Mickey D's bag out the window. Years ago I remember driving on road that had a small ditch next to it. I came upon a car that was straddling the ditch. As I got closer I see a guy crawling out from under the car with an oil filter in his hand. I have no proof, but I'm guessing he did a quick oil change.

Wedge

 

[EE_Bota]

What a timely post. I have trash in my front yard. I try to keep it picked up, because for some reason, I've noticed that where there is a little, soon there is a lot.

I believe my next door neighbor is doing it because I have seen them toss bits of paper, etc out the window of their car into my yard.

Sometimes on windy days, trash is blown from their yard to my yard. They don't want to pay the trash service to pick up their trash, so they accumulate it on a trailer in their yard. When I discuss it with them, they act like it is an "act of nature" that causes trash to come from their trailer to my yard. "The coon's got into it, and ripped it up. Sorry about that, but there is nothing we can do about it."

At the end of my road, there is a sign that says "$1000 fine for littering."
I suspect that the powers that be could really use the money from such fines. I am going to find out which authority administers that fine, and ask them if camera footage is sufficient for conviction. If so, I am going to seriously consider installing cameras to film the area until I find the trash throwers. Then...options are:

1)warning...do this again, and I will turn you in.
2)Punishment/Blackmail....you clean up the entire road, or I will turn you in.
3)Just turn them in.

This will sound bad, but it is kind of funny...I saw a Fox News commentator on TV who asked "Do you really want to pay for your neighbors birth control?!"

I yelled at the TV: "@#%@#$ #$@#$ #$#@ and I'll even pick up the wrapper in the front yard!!!!"

 

[ZetorShaun]

It is learned behavior. Your kids are learning that it is wrong and that you have to take an interest in your community. The dumpers have no stake in the community beyond "I can't see it from my house."

In Kosovo all the waterways are full of plastic trash, beautiful scenic streams choked with trash. For centuries they did it and everything was bio-degradable, they never changed their behavior and they don't really care to.

In Iraq there is trash everywhere, they really take it to a new level. Throwing trash immediately on the ground is the standard, they don't bat an eyelash if it is their yard or anywhere else.

Anyway, we are blessed to have a culture that frowns on littering. The problem is that the line between responsible mandated recycling and controlled disposal and "the heck with it" throwing stuff out on the side of the road is fine. If they make it too difficult or expensive to turn in tires then they will be dumped. The community has to take steps to make it convenient and not too expensive or else people will dump. A good example of some success is with non-commercial motor oil being accepted at auto parts stores etc. (unless you spread it to keep down dust, but you shouldn't do that).

I agree with your practice, I always pick up the trash too, there is something of the broken window theory at play here. If you don't routinely clean it up then it will attract more. Still, you have reinforced some socially responsible behavior that your children will carry on to their kids and given them a stake in their home's cleanliness. A great counter insurgency technique, well done.