TikTok trend

Park Bathroom Vandalism

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Did you know there is a TikTok trend that is encouraging the youth to vandalize park bathrooms?  The perpetrators smash toilet seats, tanks, and sinks.   The cost to repair can be astronomical, especially if these incidents happen multiple times.  The youth also target the pipes, causing an endless flow of water flooding the bathrooms, which damages the tile and subflooring. If the damage is extensive, it is considered a felony.

Park officials have resorted to restricting the bathroom use or worse closing them completely.  A closed bathroom is not inviting to the public.  When there is less traffic, the park invites other crimes such as gang violence and drug use.

One Park Director suggested community service for the youth that are committing these crimes.  This is a great idea, but to make a certain youth do community service, identification is required.  Due to many reasons, it is difficult to get prosecutable images with traditional surveillance. Unfortunately, traditional surveillance is not stopping these types of wanton acts of bathroom vandalism.

So, what can be done?

In order to combat park bathroom vandalism, Park Officials need to implement a Park Vandalism Deterrent Program.

A successful Park Vandalism Deterrent Program must have:

  • Education and Awareness Campaigns. Involve the community.
  • Community Activities. Keep the Park Active and Alive.
  • Vandalism Clean Up Committees. Repair any vandalism or graffiti immediately!
  • Park Vandalism Cameras, specifically designed to stop vandalism before it happens. These are not traditional surveillance cameras.
  • Install Lights. As much light as possible.

Parks are an essential asset to any community, and they must be protected from vandalism of any kind.

Protect your park bathrooms from vandalism

PFAs in Illegal Dumping Sites

PFAs in Illegal Dumping Sites

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Per-and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAs) are toxic chemicals that are showing up in illegal dump sites.

This is what the EPA says about PFAs:

  • PFAS are widely used, long lasting chemicals, components of which break down very slowly over time.
  • Because of their widespread use and their persistence in the environment, many PFAS are found in the blood of people and animals all over the world and are present at low levels in a variety of food products and in the environment.
  • PFAS are found in water, air, fish, and soil at locations across the nation and the globe.
  • Scientific studies have shown that exposure to some PFAS in the environment may be linked to harmful health effects in humans and animals.
  • There are thousands of PFAS chemicals, and they are found in many different consumer, commercial, and industrial products. This makes it challenging to study and assess the potential human health and environmental risks.

Illegal dump sites are usually remote areas that are still convenient enough for people to illegally discard their bulky items, tires, and construct debris. Unlawfully deposed unwanted items contaminate the area in so many ways.  One of the most concerning threats is toxic waste entering the drinking water.  A big culprit for this type of pollution is tires.

The increasing alarm is the breakdown of tires which contain PFAs. These PFAs enter the soil, ground water, and the air, especially if they burn.  Tires left in an unsafe procedure can easily ignite causing a fire that can spread at a rapid pace causing immense damage.

In 2016, high levels of PFAs were detected in the soil, air, and drinking water. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Agency detected PFAs in private wells and the surrounding area and was able to identify the source from the massive tire fire from 1986 and the firefighting foam used to fight the fire.

Although the Pennsylvania fire was not an illegal dumping site, anyone can see multiple tires in an illegal dump site. This is why it is so important to stop the practice of unlawful dumping.  Illegal dumping is harming the safety of our very lives.  In order to stop illegal dumping an Illegal Dumping Enforcement Program must be implemented.

 

 

 

Proactive Against Illegal Dumping

Proactive Against Illegal Dumping

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Illegal Dumping is a community curse that requires proactive measures that stop illegal dumping before it happens.

Illegal Dumping is not just trash that is thrown from a car. Illegal dumping usually involves big items like refrigerators, tires, couches, and construction debris left in remote areas.  An out of the way, remote area can be an off road clearing in the forest, a vacant lot, a hidden alleyway, or a road behind a store front.  All these areas get hit by offenders leaving their unwanted items for the rest of the community to take care of.

Cities are tasked with the burden to create legislation that will offset the expense illegal dumping causes, which can be very expensive especially if the clean up involves environmental water pollution.  A lot of citizens don’t want punishment even for offenders, but the alternative is pollution and disease.

Therefore, legislators need to purchase tools that are specifically designed to be proactive in stopping illegal dumping.  The city of Seattle cleans up 2 million tons of trash a year and it costs 1.7 million dollars and they are ready to be proactive in stopping the problem.

Being proactive against illegal dumping means doing something different and using tools that are effective in areas traditional surveillance is not.

Here are the questions to ask when being proactive:

  • Are there enough legal waste disposal sites?
  • Are there programs in place to rally the disposal of hazardous waste, and large items?
  • Are there educational programs in place to raise awareness of the programs in place and the hazards associated with illegal dumping?
  • Are the fines high enough to discourage illegal dumping?
  • Have Illegal Dumping Cameras been deployed at the sites?
  • Do the Illegal Dumping Cameras capture images and license plates?
  • Are the Illegal Dumping Cameras vandal resistant?
  • Are the Illegal Dumping Cameras able to be placed in remote areas where no electricity or internet connection is available?

 

Be proactive, stop illegal dumping in your community!

Successful Illegal Dumping Program

Successful Illegal Dumping Program

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First, ask what objectives are in mind and what challenges are already in place.

Most cities today face the backlash of not keeping the community safe from the hazards of illegal dumping. Therefore, the objective is to keep the environment safe from hazardous waste and debris that harbor disease and disease carrying rats and mosquitoes. Having no illegal dumping activity would be ideal.

This is a challenge in so many ways.  The citizens pollute their own community either by lack of knowledge, lack of care, or find it more profitable to do it anyway. The deposal of waste can be expensive for most people, especially large items such as appliances and construction debris.  There is also the rise in homelessness and reduction of income in many communities.  These challenges make it harder to legislate tougher fines and enforce laws already in place.

However, the community still needs to have clean water and not live with the risk of hazards illegal dumping causes, such as disease carrying rats, mosquitoes, and toxins that infect the area, water supplies, and spread to the whole community.

These concerns make it important to have an illegal dumping program that is effective and deters the problem.

Although fines are hard to impose, the alternative is making the whole community pay the costs of clean up, which could mean higher taxes or taking money from another resource that was meant to improve the lives of the citizens.  Fines are an important function of a successful illegal dumping program, but only if the laws are enforced.

A successful Illegal Dumping Program must include many departments working together.

Education

Social media, community engagements, and school activities are a great way to educate the community.

Legislation

Although tough fines can be controversial, they are needed, especially for commercial companies.

 Staff Resources

A dedicated staff to implement and direct the program is essential.

Tools

Having the suitable tools to stop illegal dumping is essential.  Prosecuting illegal dumping requires evidence to stand up in court.  Make sure the  illegal dumping enforcement cameras are designed specially to capture prosecutable images in complete darkness in remote areas.

Enforcement

To have a successful Illegal Dumping Program, enforcement needs to be a priority.

Is your city ready to implement a successful Illegal Dumping Program?

 

#noillegaldumping #stopillegaldumping #publicworks