GARDEN CITY, Ala. – A group of volunteers from Wallace State Community College recently cleaned up an illegal dump site in Garden City during the People Against a Littered State (PALS) countywide Spring Clean-up last Saturday. The group filled up over 100 bags with 2,080 pounds of trash. The volunteers were referred to the area by Cullman County Solid Waste Officer Phillip Patterson. Patterson said “That is a site that we have had issues with in the past. They volunteered to go down there and make an effort at it, and they did an outstanding job. It’s still not complete. They want to go back and finish it up. We are just going to have to have a little more equipment to clean it because it is off of a hillside.”
The definition of an illegal dump site varies by state but includes dumping trash on a public or private area that is not licensed to receive waste. Solid Waste Officer Patterson said that an illegal dump is a large amount of garbage that may include tires, furniture or just household garbage, and the site generally, but not always, must be used more than once before it is classified as an illegal dump.
Patterson discussed the possible reasons a person may have for illegal dumping, saying, “I think it’s probably a convenience thing. If someone lives on the East side of the county, they don’t want to have to drive all the way to Dodge City to the dump to dispose of their stuff properly, so they find a place that’s convenient to them. Usually it’s a deserted area, a dirt road and for whatever reason, creeks and ravines seem to be the normal place. I guess because they think they can get it off the embankment and it’ll be out of sight, out of mind,” said Patterson.
Litter and trash left on roadsides or dumped in forests all travel to waterways. The water pollution is unhealthy and possibly toxic for plant and wildlife habitats. Environmental effects of illegal dumping also include an increased chance in wildfires and a greater difficulty in putting out fires.
The county will be holding the annual Free Dump Day in May. Residents will be given a notice with their April electric bill. Every household will be entitled to one free dump at the county landfill.
The normal cost of dumping in the Cullman County landfill in Dodge City is $39.46 a ton, with a $5 minimum.
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