illegal dumping ...what would you do?

[Günter VögelBerg]

I left my house for work this morning and there is suddenly a refrigerator abandoned in the street next to my house. It's fairly old and covered in stickers and crap, so it does not look like something someone would want. It's just sitting there. I do not want to leave the neighborhood burdened with a refrigerator on the street taking up valuable parking space, but I do not want to pay (and don't feel I should have to pay) the $100 fee junk removal companies charge. I looked at the city website and there's nothing there about illegal dumping. Thoughts?

[Jamie Buxton]

Just because the web site is silent doesn't meet the city won't do something about it. I'd call them, and try to pressure them into doing the right thing.

[Stephen Tashiro]

What will your city do if you report it? Something reasonable? - or will it be like reporting graffiti in my city where they only investigate whether the property owner has removed the graffiti quickly.

[Günter VögelBerg]

Just because the web site is silent doesn't meet the city won't do something about it. I'd call them, and try to pressure them into doing the right thing.

I will when i get a minute today. The things is, though, as someone who pays property taxes to support waste collection I don't really feel like it should be their problem, either. If that were the case, I could just take my own old refrigerator out to the street and say "not my problem" and let the city deal with it.

[Matt Day]

My power company gave me a $50 check to replace my old fridge (that broke) with a new more energy efficient one, and they came to pick it up. Maybe someone dropped off a $50 check for you too.

[Lee DeRaud]

I will when i get a minute today. The things is, though, as someone who pays property taxes to support waste collection I don't really feel like it should be their problem, either. If that were the case, I could just take my own old refrigerator out to the street and say "not my problem" and let the city deal with it.Around here, the waste collection fees also entitle me to six "bulk item pickups" per year...just have to call them, tell them what the items, and move them to the curb the day they tell me. And things like old refrigerators and furniture are exactly what that service is intended for.

[Günter VögelBerg]

So our city has a similar program, but it only allows one pickup per year. My neighbor pointed out that there may have been someone close by who scheduled it and there were cars parked in front of their house so they had to move it. This seems plausible.

[Roger Feeley]

Reminds me of a story I read some time ago. In Boston, there is an unspoken agreement that if you shovel out a parking spot, it’s yours for the duration of the blizzard. Simply put out a lawn chair or something to mark the spot as yours. At some point the city decided that public property can’t be claimed this way and trucks were dispatched to pick up the markers and thus return the spots to the people. The good citizens of Boston, being the clever sort, realized the opportunity and marked their spots with derelict appliances, AC compressors, air handlers and engine blocks. The city gave in.

Theres something about that story that makes me really like Boston.

[Perry Hilbert Jr]

A mile down the road, is a seldom used side road that services only 3 residences. There is a bend in the side road with a steep bank and slobs are forever dumping old furniture, appliances and household trash. Calls to the township or police get no results and the property owner is furious. So one day, he sees a fresh pile of trash, partially burned. In the ashes are parts of several catalogs to "adult' businesses, most still with the name and address stickers addressed to a woman that lives 3 doors down the road from me. So he takes the covers of two of these magazines, with address stickers still on them and puts them up as a poster at the local store's community bulletin board. It says $50 reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever dumped these items on my property. .Well within 45 minutes, the woman's husband is down there shoveling up the ashes and trash. This happened 25 years ago and To this day, that woman still doesn't go out in public locally.

[Günter VögelBerg]

The city said they would come pick it up. Now that I am over my righteous indignation I kind of want to have fun with it, like paint a mural on it, dress it up in costumes, or fill it up with balloons.

[Erik Loza]

A mile down the road, is a seldom used side road that services only 3 residences. There is a bend in the side road with a steep bank and slobs are forever dumping old furniture, appliances and household trash. Calls to the township or police get no results and the property owner is furious.

I drive a lot and listen to podcasts. One called "Criminal" is a favorite. Your post made me think of this particular episode: https://thisiscriminal.com/episode-119-hes-still-neutral-7-19-2019

To the OP, I hope you get this resolved quickly,

Erik

[Lee Schierer]

If you have a trail camera, you can record who is going by there and dumping trash.

As others have said call your local municipal office and complain about the dumped item.

[Lee Schierer]

The city said they would come pick it up. Now that I am over my righteous indignation I kind of want to have fun with it, like paint a mural on it, dress it up in costumes, or fill it up with balloons.

I wouldn't touch it so they can't say it is yours.....

[Andrew Seemann]

When I lived in the city, anything that had any possible value that was put out next to the alleyway disappeared of its own accord. And it was implied that anything left out there was free game. It was sort of a way to reecycle/pass down things to the next person. I kind of miss that.

I scored a storm door once that way. I also got rid of a toilet, sink, an old TV, old baby equipment, and quite a few other items. Once, when I was remodeling and had pulled out the old hot water heating pipes, I saw one of the "alley cats" on prowl. I flagged him down and showed him the pile of iron next to the garage and said it was his for the taking. I probably could have gotten a hundred or so dollars from it, but not spending the time and effort to get rid of it was more than worth it.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

When I lived in the city, anything that had any possible value that was put out next to the alleyway disappeared of its own accord. And it was implied that anything left out there was free game. It was sort of a way to reecycle/pass down things to the next person. I kind of miss that.

I scored a storm door once that way. I also got rid of a toilet, sink, an old TV, old baby equipment, and quite a few other items. Once, when I was remodeling and had pulled out the old hot water heating pipes, I saw one of the "alley cats" on prowl. I flagged him down and showed him the pile of iron next to the garage and said it was his for the taking. I probably could have gotten a hundred or so dollars from it, but not spending the time and effort to get rid of it was more than worth it.

We have an unwritten rule that if something you are throwing away is still good, you put it next to the dumpster. I have given and taken many times in this manner.

[Bill Jobe]

I would definately contact the city.....and the local police if the door is closed.

[Ronald Blue]

Around these parts the "scrappers" happily haul away old appliances.

[Lee DeRaud]

Around these parts the "scrappers" happily haul away old appliances.It's usually a race between the official truck and the scroungers that patrol the 'burbs here.

[Frederick Skelly]

So one day, he sees a fresh pile of trash, partially burned. In the ashes are parts of several catalogs to "adult' businesses, most still with the name and address stickers addressed to a woman that lives 3 doors down the road from me. So he takes the covers of two of these magazines, with address stickers still on them and puts them up as a poster at the local store's community bulletin board. It says $50 reward for information leading to the arrest of whoever dumped these items on my property. .Well within 45 minutes, the woman's husband is down there shoveling up the ashes and trash. This happened 25 years ago and To this day, that woman still doesn't go out in public locally.

Now that is truly poetic justice. What a great story!

[Ron Citerone]

I would call the city. If they believe that you would go to that level to scam the fee, shame on them!

[John Goodin]

I will when i get a minute today. The things is, though, as someone who pays property taxes to support waste collection I don't really feel like it should be their problem, either. If that were the case, I could just take my own old refrigerator out to the street and say "not my problem" and let the city deal with it.

but you sound like too decent a man to just dump your stuff at the curb.

[Stan Calow]

Our city will pick up big items once a month, but there is a six-eight week waiting list due to volume. Things with refrigerants require special equipment to handle them. Usually scrappers will scavenge metal items at the curb. There is just one guy who is the city's dumping investigator, who is busy all the time. Unless you catch dumpers in the act, the police don't investigate. Even with cameras, people just don't get prosecuted. A TV crew had one guy on film who dumped a headless deer carcass on the side of the road. He promised to come back and pick it up. He came back, but left it, when he saw how nasty it had become. People have no shame.

[Günter VögelBerg]

So the city used to have a "pile up" program where once a year you pile your nonsense up at the street and they come pick up what the brigades of rusty pickup trucks don't get first. I had one of those plastic "tough shed" things I wanted to get rid of. I took about half of it out to the street and while I was disassembling the other half a guy came by and loaded the panels into his truck and drove off before I could tell him to wait for the rest of them. When I took the rest out another guy promptly scooped them up. I have no idea what these guys intended to do with half of a tough shed. I have always theorized that they ran into each other on an internet group for people looking for tough shed parts and got together to form a whole tough shed and a life long friendship. More likely is that they realized that the parts were useless and they made their way to the land fill.

The city discontinued that program due to the illegal dumping and the mess it made on the street.

[Jim Koepke]

The city said they would come pick it up. Now that I am over my righteous indignation I kind of want to have fun with it, like paint a mural on it, dress it up in costumes, or fill it up with balloons.

Unless you already know there isn't a body inside, it should be left alone least you become part of the chain.

Hopefully the door is not able to stay shut or it may be a danger to local children.

jtk

[Günter VögelBerg]

Yeah, I'm leaving it alone. It's still out there. It is tied shut with some string, so whatever is in there is going to remain a mystery to me

[Thomas McCurnin]

I can't speak to your City, but here in Los Angeles, we have an illegal dumping statute, and all illegal dumping can be reported and generally picked up within 6 days for free. I can't believe that your City would be more disfunctional than Los Angeles, but ....

[Frederick Skelly]

There are many companies offer free junk removal services or sometime minor charges, so I prefer to call them to clean your place with dumping. Mostly I practice these type of things for my surroundings.

Hey guys, this thread is over two years old. Seems likely Gunter doesnt need help on this anymore. :)

[Mel Fulks]

Thomas, does LA still use the….Dragnet ?!

[Lee DeRaud]

Yeah, I'm leaving it alone. It's still out there. It is tied shut with some string, so whatever is in there is going to remain a mystery to me


Hey guys, this thread is over two years old. Seems likely Gunter doesnt need help on this anymore. :)

Yeah, but is it still there? :)

[Thomas McCurnin]

Joe Friday was one of my favorites, although watching it now makes me feel old.