Illegal dumping at the recycling bins wastes WWRA time and money
Living room furniture illegally dumped last Tuesday at the WWRA recycling bins behind Manchester Township Hall. Photo courtesy of WWRA.
by Sara Swanson
Last Tuesday, Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority (WWRA) workers stopped by the recycling bins behind Manchester Township Hall and found “a living room’s worth of furniture” illegally dumped in the parking lot. The furniture was blocking parking lot spaces and access to bins for both recyclers and WWRA workers.
Karissa Schwarz, who serves as outreach coordinator for WWRA, explained, “The WWRA has to bear the cost of disposal for these items, wasting time, money, and resources for our nonprofit and community.”
Illegal dumping occurs when someone dumps unrecyclable items in or outside of the WWRA’s recycling bins. Common items include furniture, construction waste, “tanglers,” and foam. Leaving these items and any trash in or by bins is illegal and may be subject to a $1,000 fine.
Two years ago, Manchester Township had cameras installed to monitor the recycling bins to record offenders. At the Township board meeting held that same evening, Manchester Township’s clerk, Danell Procter, reported that the camera footage of the recycling bins was being reviewed and that the incident had been reported to the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office.
Schwarz stated, “Many people participate in illegal dumping to avoid disposal fees. Others illegally dump items in hopes of using our bin sites as a place to donate and trade goods. No matter the excuse, illegal dumping hurts our community and nonprofits like the WWRA.”
WWRA encourages potential dumpers to instead donate furniture, equipment, kitchen tools, containers, and clothes and to properly dispose of construction waste, foam, trash, and other contaminates. They have resources on their website for how and where to dispose of foam, etc. at https://wwrarecycles.org/what-not-to-recycle/.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login