Solid Waste Management officers warn of illegal dumping scams

LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ohio (WSAZ) - Lawrence-Scioto County Solid Waste Management enforcement officer Seth Summers is tasked with tracking down people who illegally dump trash. It’s a job easier said than done. He gets called out to illegal dumping sites on a regular basis.

“You have beer cans, a refrigerator torn apart, a couch, multiple tires through the bush there,” said Summers as he observed a site near Proctorville on Friday morning.

Summers says he has noticed a pattern this summer. When searching through trash at various sites, he often finds personal information that helps him figure out where it all came from. However, when he confronts the people he is able to identify from the trash, he discovers that many of them were not the ones who dumped the trash there.

“They’re hiring people on Facebook Marketplace to come into their house, haul the stuff off, and they’re not getting any of the person’s information,” Summers said.

When hiring someone to dispose of their trash, they often pay in cash. What they don’t realize is that their trash ultimately ends up being dumped illegally in rural areas throughout the county. Without proof of who dumped it there, the original owner of the trash could face a felony charge and a hefty fine up to $25,000.

“I’m not out to cite everybody that’s been taken advantage of. But at the same time, we’ve got to put a stop to this. We’ve got to get it out there and let people know that this can’t continue,” Summers said.

He suggests only doing business with someone who you are familiar with. He encourages you to have some sort of documentation of your agreement when hiring someone, as well as to have them prove that they disposed of your trash legally.

“Find a family member or someone that you know and trust to come in with a pickup truck or something and haul it off. Then have them get the receipts from the transfer stations. We hate to see people get taken advantage of, and that is why we are trying to put a stop to this,” Summers said.

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