Hi Jon,

 

I apologize now for the length of this email. I think we can all agree that this is a frustrating aspect of having a permanent facility.

 

I have some thoughts for what has worked or not worked for us:

 

1.       Earlier in the summer we were getting about 1 illegal drop off a week per site. We thought maybe it wasn’t obvious that we were actually closed and tried giving people the benefit of the doubt. Our solution was to make big signs that we can remove during open hours but are sitting out front when closed. We put large orange traffic cones by them to draw attention. Since doing this about 3 months ago we have had only about 2 illegal drops per site! Amazing! You should know that we have signs on our buildings that say it is illegal to dump when we aren’t present and it gives our hours. I guess it wasn’t obvious enough. The additional signs in front of the building have helped a lot.

2.       We have general language as part of Kent County pertaining to illegal dumping. However, we do not have any enforcement of it nor do we have a fee/ ticket for when such events happen. It also isn’t specific to household hazardous waste. If we would ever like to enforce this law we would have to seek the help of the local law enforcement (i.e. City of Grand Rapids, City of Rockford, etc.). This has never been a practical solution. This is also obviously only an option if you have video surveillance or an eye witness.

3.       We have video surveillance available for two or three of our four sites. However, we have never actually used it to pursue an illegal dumper due to the above issue. We have however needed video footage when we had a resident make threatening comments which need a follow up with risk management and/or the police. Since we actually have very little authority over of illegal dumpers, some solutions we thought of were sending a strongly worded letter after getting the license plate. I think sometimes people don’t realize that it poses a threat to their safety, our safety, and that of the environment. As well as it encouraging other people to drop it off if they see it there. I think they want to do the right thing and are just naive.

4.       Some other things we have done is keep the front of the building as clean as possible (I even sweep the rocks away). I noticed that when there is clutter or empty containers visible in the front it only encourages people to drop off their boxes of stuff. And then when one person does it even more do. This is why we have a waste hauler regulator that makes daily stops at each site to make sure nothing was left out. We are only at each site once a week, so it is important that we grab what is on the ground.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Megan

 

 

 

 

Hello,

 

Here is a question for the group from Jon Tulman in Washtenaw County. Please reply to the group or to Jon at tulmanj@ewashtenaw.org Thank you in advance for your responses.

Cindy Foster

Household Hazardous Waste Specialist

HHW Center

269-383-8742

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

I am evaluating security at our permanent collection facility as it pertains to persons dropping off materials when we are closed for business.

 

I am interested in learning from others around Michigan how they address this issue, specifically as to:

 

1)      Do other programs have ordinance language specific to dropping off HHW materials when the site is closed, or more general language that deals with the illegal dumping of solid waste? 

 

2)      What steps have programs taken (video surveillance, fake video surveillance, signage) to help keep off-hour drops at bay, and what is the success of these methods?

 

Jon Tulman

Solid Waste Specialist

Washtenaw County

734-222-3810

 

 

 

 

 

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