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Thread: illegal dumping ...what would you do?

  1. #1

    illegal dumping ...what would you do?

    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?

  2. #2
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    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.

  3. #3
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    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.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Jamie Buxton View Post
    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.

  5. #5
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    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.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Günter VögelBerg View Post
    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.
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  7. #7
    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.

  8. #8
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    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.

  9. #9
    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.

  10. #10
    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.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Perry Hilbert Jr View Post
    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-1...tral-7-19-2019

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

    Erik
    Ex-SCM and Felder rep

  12. #12
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    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
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  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Günter VögelBerg View Post
    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.....
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

  14. #14
    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.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Seemann View Post
    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.

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