Getting Down in the Dumps

Danielle Onorato

To curb illegal dumping, Kentucky state and local officials have placed surveillance cameras at known illegal dumpsites with signs warning of their use. Much to their chagrin, people are not so camera-shy.

Apparently, these sites are turning out to be the latest inspiration point.

“I've learned that dumps can be romantic places,” chides Karen Engle, coordinator of PRIDE, a regional organization that provides money for county governments to purchase video cameras for illegal dumpsites. One man returned to the dumps with four different women, she says. “It's happening too often.”

According to Willard Burton, solid waste coordinator for Kentucky's Johnson county, dumpsites usually are located on secluded portions of rural roads with a shoulder to pull off on the side. But bathroom breaks are a common occurrence at the dumpsites, too. Fortunately for these exhibitionists, state investigators are looking only for illegal dumpers and will not proceed with investigations into other violations, says Mark York, spokesman for the Kentucky Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet.

Only those caught littering and convicted in Johnson county will be fined and required to clean up four tons of garbage and pay for two years worth of curbside garbage pickup.

Source: Associated Press