“Ohio EPA and The Recycling Partnership are working in collaboration with Ohio communities, SWMDs and MRFs to develop and implement a comprehensive education and outreach strategy to decrease the amount of trash in curbside recycling programs while increasing how much Ohioans recycle,” says Jill Martin, vice president of community programs at The Recycling Partnership. Six grants have been awarded to a diverse group of communities that represent four different major MRFsheds in Ohio to work with The Recycling Partnership to create the best model for recycling success statewide. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA), Columbus, Ohio, solid waste management districts (SWMDs), material recovery facilities (MRFs), haulers, Ohio communities and The Recycling Partnership (The Partnership) are coming together to tackle the issue of nonrecyclable trash in recycling by investing in education and outreach in pilot areas around the state. To help cut down on waste dumping, the city offers bulk pick-up days quarterly and allows for residents to drop off up to 1 ton of trash at any of the city’s waste stations. It doesn't look good for the residents or for the city itself,' Duarte said. 'We have residents here that want to keep up their properties, keep up the area that they live in and people doing this is illegal.

Perpetrators caught in the act can be fined up to $2,500 plus the cost of the trash removal.Īlthough the program is in its infancy, Duarte says he hopes the new emphasis on cracking down on illegal dumping will help keep the city clean and preserve the appearance of Phoenix’s neighborhoods. In addition to the eight cameras already installed, the city has ordered an 14 more units that will be strategically placed throughout the city.īefore the cameras are installed, a sign is posted alerting would-be violators about the city’s intention to penalize those caught breaking the law.

'Our employees are out there trying to stop, and to the people who are dumping: We will catch you.' 'When you see illegal dumping, most of it occurs late in the evening or at night,' Duarte told ABC 15. Duarte hopes that these high-tech cameras, which are sophisticated enough to detect details such as license plate numbers and vehicle makes and models, will help the city identify violators even when law enforcement and other citizens aren’t around.

In an effort to crack down on incidents of illegal waste dumping, Phoenix officials have begun strategically placing surveillance cameras in problem areas throughout the city, ABC 15 Arizona reports.Īccording to Jesse Duarte, deputy director of Phoenix’s public works department, eight surveillance cameras have already been placed in areas prone to illegal waste dumping.

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