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Illegal Dumping Affects Property Tax

Illegal Dumping Affects Property Tax

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Illegal dumping is more than just an ugly sight to behold. It is dangerous, and It is also very costly. Because illegal dumping poses a very serious health risk to the surrounding residents and wildlife, city officials cannot stand idly by, ignoring the crime. They must do everything in their power to clean the dumping sites and protect their city. However, it is a very expensive endeavor to clean up illegal dumping, “Cleaning up, monitoring, and enforcing instances of illegal dumping cost taxpayers a significant amount of money each year. The EPA mentions that some urban areas in the U.S. spend ‘several million dollars per year on cleanup, hauling, and disposal’ of illegally dumped wastes.”

Illegal dumping costs cities millions of dollars each year to clean up. Cities make up for this cost by taxing their residents. In addition to this, illegal dumping lowers the value of homes due to aesthetics and safety concerns, and therefore lowers the revenue of cities, making economies suffer all around.

TO PREVENT ILLEGAL DUMPING:

  • Install fencing in abandoned areas.
  • Involve the community to help educate the citizens.
  • Increase illegal dumping fines.
  • Implement the use of illegal dumping cameras.

Officials should be diligent about stopping illegal dumping to protect their cities’ revenue.

 

#StopIllegalDumping #NoIllegalDumping #NoMoreIllegalDumping #KeepOurCitiesClean

 

Illegal Dumping Ignites Fires

Illegal Dumping Ignites Fires

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Illegal Dumping Ignites Fires In the year 2019, there were 50,477 wildfires reported in the United States. It is hard to predict when fire disasters will occur, but they can be prevented. According to the Insurance Information Institute, 90% of the fires are started by people through negligence. An unattended campfire or a downed power line can cause a fire, but did you know that illegal dumping can also cause fires?  One of the biggest causes of fire is piles of garbage in dry, hot areas. When trash is not discarded properly, it can cause fires. Illegal dumping of tires causes the worst type of fires, as the oil within the tires once ignited is hard to put out. And according to the EPA, tire fires cause toxic gases and hazardous compounds that pollute our environment.  It is important that the officials of our communities do everything they can to prevent illegal dumping. Here are some suggestions:

  • Staff Resources: Staff that is specially trained and dedicated in preventing illegal dumping. Besides responding and investigating complaints and prosecuting, this includes educating the public.
  • Educate: Use Billboards, Social Media, and News Outlets to get the word out to Educate your community. Talk about the dangers of illegal dumping and the consequences both environmentally and individually.
  • Provide Hot lines: Hot lines are a very resourceful tool that every city should have available.  When a citizen sees an act of illegal dumping, they can call, text or email information to the Enforcers.
  • Legislation: Every city needs laws and fines to enforce the battle against illegal dumping
  • Tools:  Illegal dumping cameras.  These cameras are specifically designed to provide prosecutable evidence needed in the war against illegal dumping.

When measures are taken to prevent illegal dumping, we can prevent fires. It is time to start taking illegal dumping seriously.

Homeless Camps Attract Illegal Dumping and Blight

Homeless Camps Attract Illegal Dumping and Blight

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Homelessness is becoming a concern in most parts of the United States.  A person without a stable home can be someone moving from motel to motel, or a car, or in some cases the streets.  Some people without homes have set up temporary shelters, like a tent or tarp.  There are even homeless communities, where there are groups of temporary shelters that can be seen in parks or lined up on streets.  While viewing a homeless camp is very sad, the conditions in these camps are hazardous, not just to the homeless but also to the surrounding community. 

According to a volunteer, who cleans up homeless camps, she finds illegal dumping and very hazardous conditions.  She has even come across dead bodies.   Trash, needles, and unsanitary disposal of waste is a breeding ground for rats, roaches, and other disease carrying critters.

Rats and other rodents carry dangerous diseases, which can be transmitted to human through contact with the feces or urine or breathing in airborne particles. Many people have heard about the Bubonic plague that killed hordes of people in the Middle Ages.  The Bubonic plague is just one of the life-threatening diseases that rodents can carry with them, which can infect a human if the rodent’s flea bites the human.

Within the piled-up trash, these rats multiply and invade the neighboring residents and businesses, causing a community panic. While this problem is very complex, and strategy requires legislation and empathy, there needs to be tools in place to help keep the homeless community from setting up a camp especially near parks and areas where children play. One such tool should be a portable camera that deters the activity and can be easily moved around. 

Portable cameras will help the officers and volunteers who are involved in these communities, while the legislators design a permanent solution.

Hazards of Illegal Dumping Sites

Hazards of Illegal Dumping Sites

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Illegal dumping needs to be managed and stopped. Illegal waste dumping, a problem around the country, causes environmental and physical hazardous that could cause harm to children. What should be a waste management issue becomes safety management for children. 

Although illegal dump sites are hazardous to all people and animals, trash environments are especially dangerous for children, who see the abandoned refrigerators and couches piled up as an invitation to “playhouse”.  Besides abandoned objects, dump sites contain hazards like sharp objects, construction debris, and disposed chemicals. 

Hawaii News Now speaks of the neighborhood, Makakil, who are experiencing illegal dumping in their community. At the dump site, there are a few refrigerators and couches that the children play on. The parents in the community say it’s a “hazard for children”, and they want the problem to stop.

There many more communities around the US that have the issue of illegal waste dumping. Unfortunately this issue has become a safety concern for some parents, like in Makakil. Local governments should be dealing with waste management so local communities can be safer, but instead illegal dumping has become a safety problem for parents. Local governments should incorporate ways to stop illegal dumping in their waste management program, so that the dumping nuisance does not increase the concern parents have in protecting their children.

What is your city doing to stop illegal dumping?