The Trigg County Sheriff’s Department spends at least one week a month investigating reports of illegal dumps throughout the county.
Sheriff Aaron Acree said they discovered a dumping site in northern Trigg County last week and was able to determine who it was.
click to download audioAcree said the trash was nothing elaborate — just regular household trash.
click to download audioBecause criminal littering is a Class A misdemeanor, there isn’t much teeth in the judicial punishment. Acree said giving them the choice of a ticket or doing clean-up work seems to be effective.
click to download audioAcree said his department’s effectiveness in cleaning up illegal dumping sites in the county can’t be done without the help of the public.
click to download audioThe state also helps counties with the cleanup of larger illegal dumping sites. Since 2006, the Illegal Open Dump Grant has funded the cleanup of 2,330 dump sites in Kentucky. The average clean-up cost can run between $5,000 and $25,000 per site.
Funding comes from the Kentucky Pride Fund, which is supported by a $1.75 per ton fee on municipal solid waste disposal in Kentucky’s contained landfills.