Illegal dumping a problem for some downtown businesses

Some business owners in Washington?s downtown area have seen a rise in illegal dumping in their dumpsters. Mary Patterson is the landlord for two apartments above the Bryson Block Building on the west side of the square. She said the illegal dumping in her trash bins near the alley is overwhelming.

Patterson said her renters produce one bag of trash per apartment per week. She said the rest of the Bryson Block, which includes the offices for the Chamber of Commerce, WEDG and Main Street Washington, produce about two trash bags per week. Patterson was thus amazed when she recently found 15 bags of trash piled up on top of and around the trash bins.

?Two people can?t make this much trash even if they have a party,? said Patterson.

It was not just the amount of trash that surprised Patterson but also the fact that some of it was spilling out of its bag. When she found the trash there were maggot casings and stains everywhere.

?It was awful,? said Patterson.

Karen Kofron, who works at a tanning salon next door, said that illegal dumping had become so bad that the owner of the business put a chain and padlock on the dumpster a few months ago. Kofron said a neighbor in a nearby apartment complained to her that he was finding diapers in his dumpster even though no kids lived there.

Kofron said the illegal dumping has gone down since the chain and padlock were affixed to the dumpster.

Tsalika Drown, who co-owns a restaurant on the east side of the square, said she has had problems with people throwing trash in the alley by her dumpster.

?A couple of the issues have been people putting trash around the dumpster, and they put it out way before the dumpster is emptied,? said Drown. ?So they?re not even putting it in our dumpster. They?re just putting it in the area. Sometimes they have a sticker on it and sometimes they don?t.?

Drown said that even if the trash has a sticker, it doesn?t belong in her dumpster because that dumpster belongs to her business.

?We?re paying for the dumpster,? she said.

Drown said she put a camera outside but has not yet caught anyone in the act of littering.

Washington Police Chief Greg Goodman said that illegal dumping has been a problem for a long time.

?We?ve always had issues with people putting trash in other receptacles,? said Goodman.

He said the problem might grow even more as trash rates continue to rise.

Goodman said that finding the perpetrators of illegal dumping often requires investigative work that can be pretty dirty. Catching a perpetrator in the act is a difficult job, but sometimes he leaves clues behind as to his identity. Police look through the illegally dumped trash for papers that would indicate whom the trash belonged to.

If the perpetrator is caught, he usually receives a warning, said Goodman.

?It?s not their property and it?s not an expense they?re bearing,? said Goodman.

Goodman said the perpetrator could be charged with littering, trespassing, or theft of service depending upon the circumstances of the illegal dump. If the perpetrator is issued a civil infraction, he could pay $150 for the first offense. Goodman said judges decide the punishment an offender receives.