PENNFIELD CHARTER TOWNSHIP

Sheriff's Office and Recycling Department Partner to

Stop Illegal Dumping

The Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, and the Solid Waste and Recycling Department, are partnering on an initiative to end illegal dumping in Calhoun County. Especially on rural roads countywide and on roads that are out of sight of nearby homes, items are being left behind that belong in trash or recycling. Ranging from tires and appliances to mattresses, furniture, and miscellaneous household items, this problem is pervasive and creates unnecessary work and costs for local, often rural communities. Sheriff Steve Hinkley wishes to remind the public that it is illegal to leave trash on the side of the road in undesignated areas.
If your garbage is located along the roadside, and in many cases it is possible to identify the households responsible, you could be subject to legal action. Fines for illegal dumping could reach $500, plus possible civil clean-up expenses.
In some cases, households hire people to clean their property for rental or remodeling, and the hired cleaners avoid proper disposal fees by dumping garbage in rural areas of our communities. If you hire someone to clean up your property, request a copy of their business insurance and a disposal receipt from a landfill or garbage service.
If you see someone dumping trash or tires along the roadside and it is safe to do so, obtain a vehicle description, license plate number, and description of the occupants, and report the incident to 911 immediately.