Illegal dumping is an unsightly and unsanitary problem—and one that cost the city of Columbus more than $2 million to clean up last year alone.
For more than four years, the city has been gradually replacing the large, green, 300-gallon communal waste bins seen in many residential alleyways with individual, 90-gallon containers.
The last of the new, smaller bins are set to be distributed by early November.
WOSU’s Matthew Rand spoke with Columbus Refuse Administrator Tim Swauger about this and other efforts at illegal dumping prevention in the city.
Matthew: What difference have the new, smaller trash containers made in combating the city’s illegal dumping problem?
Swauger: We did a pilot program and tried it out and we saw a significant reduction in illegal dumping and debris in the alleyways. The 300-gallon containers provided a large capacity and they stayed in the public right of way all the time. So, people that wanted to illegally dump or get rid of extra material knew where to go in the city, and they typically were in sections of the city where they had alley collection.
Now, those 300-gallon containers were shared by multiple houses. So, it's not like we've reduced capacity. We've just individualized that capacity. The other thing is residents now pull those containers out of the right of way on non-collection days and push them back out for collection. So, it took away the opportunity for people to go ahead and illegally dump.
Rand: What else has the city been doing to prevent illegal dumping?
Swauger: First and foremost, we want to educate residents on how to properly dispose of their materials: what is permitted at the landfill and what is not. Construction debris from remodeling is not permitted to go into your trash containers and shouldn't be set out behind your house, but should be set up for bulk.
How to schedule bulk: calling 311, getting a date and then not placing that item out until no more than 72 hours prior to pickup. We're trying to educate people on why you don't want to set your couch out front of your house or out in the back and then call 311, only to find out that your collection is a week or two away, because then those become magnets for other people to dump there, because they know someone's coming to get it. So they just start piling stuff up, which is all illegal dumping. So education is the first part.
The second part is enforcement. We continue to increase the number of compliance investigators so they write civil violations and criminal violations, utilizing a lot of different investigative techniques: interviews, hidden cameras, word of mouth. We have a tip line—you can call 311. We work with Crime Stoppers. So, we're doing a bunch of different measures to make sure that we educate the public first. But those bad actors, we want to go after them and charge them civilly and criminally when appropriate.
Rand: Taken in total, are these measures working, or are you still seeing illegal dumping being an issue in some parts of the city, and if so, where?
Swauger: They are working. We are seeing less illegal dumping, but we absolutely have illegal dumping still going on in all sides of town. So, it's just areas where people can be hidden, unload a truckload or dump the material and hope they don't get caught. So, while we have not completely stopped illegal dumping, we've greatly reduced it.
Rand: Finally, what are some basic rules that residents should keep in mind for throwing out their trash, especially when it comes to larger items?
Swauger: The general rule is first, bag all your trash that goes into your trash can. That's the number one thing that helps with litter and stuff, because when you don't bag it, when the truck comes and dumps it, or if an animal or someone knocks over the can and it's not bagged, it can be strewn all over the roadway, which makes it difficult to clean up.
The second thing is, if it doesn't fit in the trash can, don't jam it into the trash can. Don't wedge it into the trash can. Go ahead and schedule bulk. But more importantly than that is utilizing our other resources to get rid of some of those items. We have two convenience centers that we opened in the city, one at 2100 Alum Creek Drive and the other at 1550 Georgesville Road, where residents can bring that extra trash, bring that bulk item, and they can drop it off free of charge if they're a resident of the city of Columbus.
And we have people there at those facilities that help divert it. So, if you have a couch or a chair or something that may still have some useful life, you bring it over to us, we'll look at it and see if we can get somebody there to re-utilize it. All of that helps reduce waste.
And then the other thing is just being vigilant in your neighborhood. If you see something, say something. If you see people illegally dumping, try to get a license plate number, try to get a description, report that to us and we'll follow up on those things.
Click here for more information on bulk and trash collection in Columbus.
