Illegal Trash Dumpers: You are Being Watched

You get up in the morning and find your streetcorner filled with trash illegally dumped there! How are you going to react?

Illegal trash dumping is one of the most annoying violations and is often carried out by the residents of our own community.  Some part of the illegal dumping is also done by delivery services to dispose of construction debris or other items. Haulers find it easier and cheap to unload their trucks in a secluded area or in streets than to dispose of their haul at a landfill. From broken appliances to old tires to old mattresses, junk and debris is discarded where it shouldn’t be.

A warning alert has been raised for the people who are dumping illegally in Kansas City. The authority is investing in first of its kind 24-hour surveillance camera to catch illegal dumpers. The reason behind such a step is that it costs much more to pick up after Illegal dumping than it does to dispose of collected trash from homes or construction sites.

Environmentalists have come a long way in putting an end to illegal trash dumping.  CCTV cameras have been hidden in trees and shrubs. Inspectors have quietly installed 40 hidden surveillance cameras to catch people dumping trash illegally. The cameras present a clear picture of the offenders, the vehicle and even the license plate. The high resolution cameras clearly show lawbreakers pulling their pickups to isolated places and dumping construction debris, cardboard boxes and bags stuffed with garbage. Violators, if prosecuted and found guilty, are penalized with a fine of $ 1000.

The main objective of setting up CCTV surveillance cameras is to send a clear message to violators that this activity will not be tolerated. The aim is to educate public on trash enforcement laws and proper disposal options. The solid waste division has made a financial plan to clean up all illegally dumped tires, lumpy furniture, piles of lumber and other garbage throughout the city. The total budget amounts to $1.5 million, one of the most expensive deals to clean the city.

In the wake to curb illegal trash dumping, residents are allowed to set two bags of trash for free every week and the city picks up the bulky trash on a regular basis. Apart from the cameras, crime fighting agents also apply signs proclaiming “No Dumping – Video Surveillance.” The cameras capture the illegal trash dumping, and the signs deter would-be violators.