Henry County sees garbage problem

Henry County is having an issue with people illegally dumping their garbage. Mike Prottsman, who helps with the rural garbage collection, brought the issue to the Henry County Board of Supervisors’s attention on Thursday.

“We’ve seen this issue in the past, and it’s still happening,” Prottsman said. “People will leave their trash before the trucks come or they’ll try to sneak in stuff they’re not supposed to, and that’s technically illegal dumping.”

The Henry County Board of Supervisors began discussing ways to remedy the illegal dumping situation. One of the quick solutions they came up with is putting up signs that specify that illegal dumping is not allowed and what times the trucks come.

Henry County is not the only one seeing an issue of illegal dumping.

“It’s a problem everywhere, and you can be fined for illegal dumping from $1,000 up to $3,000,” retiring Great River Regional Waste Authority General Manager Wade Hamm said.

“I tell people all the time that the Henry County Supervisors don’t have to offer this service for them for free, that they’re lucky to have such great supervisors,” Prottsman said. “People feel like they’re entitled to the service, and they act out when things don’t go their way.

“We get so many nasty phone calls of people asking why the trucks aren’t there or why can’t we take certain things,” he said. “Anger is not even close to describe some of the interactions I have, and it’s honestly exhausting to put up with.”

Prottsman is preparing for the rural bulky day, a weekend in which his site allows bulky items and trash to be collected. The spring bulky day will take place Friday, April 23, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday, April 24, from 8 a.m. to noon. Most items will be accepted except for construction waste such as shingles.