Road being used as makeshift dump

[buckeyefarmer]

In our area we have a program called "clean sweep", which is a community service / fund raiser that kids do. kids get pledges to help clean up trash, and their service group gets to keep the funds. government provides trash bags, and they come later and pick up the full bags. Our boy scouts participates. every year we pick up hundreds of bags of trash. Couple yrs ago we did about 1 mile along a road in a national park. unbelievable what had been thrown over the hill, many tires to a refrigerator...

 

[Redbug]

Thanks for the tip on the tire serials. I did not know that! Yes, I have picked up a number of tires and disposed of them. I will do a further Google search and learn more about the serial number system. Hopefully, there's a way to track the slobs down, next time.

 

[jimmyj]

I guess any of us who lives in a rural area has this problem. Once I can afford one, I'm going to put a game camera on the ditch to see what I get.

I used to mow the wide ditch area (more of a swayle) and I have stopped and now let the roadside weeds and grass grow really high. When I mowed it just attracted parked cars and junk like a magnet. We once had a murder about 50 miles from here and the killer dumped his clothes in our ditch! How's that for creepy! (Although the body was a mile away so thank heavens that was not at our place). I remember that summer confronting a suspicious looking guy walking down the side of our road. Gulp! Wonder if it was him.

I think the IR cameras are going to be a great tool for us in years to come.

 

[MarkV]

I live on a rural road where most in the area have lived for generations. They don't care for us outsiders coming in to "ruin" their country setting. It is amazing the amount of trash that gets pitched out the windows of passing pick-ups. I've never understood their passion for their country setting yet lack of concern for the trash they toss. It just seems so contradictory love the country and then fill the ditches with fast food rappers. Of course it just may be me because I would not marry my cousin either.

MarkV

 

[tallyho8]

My peeve is that the local tire stores charge the mandated disposal fee per tire and then they add their own "service charge" to take your old tires. Many people save the service fee by taking their old tires and dumping them off down the road.

 

[jinman]

In the city of Grand Prairie, TX where I used to live, they allow two free pickup loads to the dump per month when you bring your water bill. I believe there is an extra surcharge for tires and they don't take paint. Annually in the spring, they have a cleanup campaign where you can bring old paint, insecticides, and herbicides for free disposal. I believe tires are $1 each and batteries are not taken. Even with all this free or low-fee disposal, there is one road that catches lots of shingles, tires, appliances, and furniture on one blind corner where trees and brush hide the perps while allowing them to see oncoming lights.

Recently, my wife went with the grandkid's school to a zoo in Dallas. They stopped at a park in Grand Prairie for lunch. The playground equipment was surrounded with soft ground up rubber from old tires. She said you would expent it to leave residues on the kids, but it was clean and the perfect material for the playground equipment. This is a great way to recycle in my opinion. That material is probably safer than plain old dirt or sand.

On our county road, it's about 1-1/2 miles long with no outlet. One of our neighbors just moved away because he was caught and fined for raising wolves. Wouldn't you know it? Suddenly the amount of trash on the sides of our roads was cut in half overnight. There's always a reason to celebrate when people move. Some when they move in and some when they move out.

 

[Ridgewalker]

My land has 4/10ths of a mile of state highway frontage, it's beautiful, all huge whiteoaks and tall shortleaf pines, a few big boulders, etc. I walk it with sunflower seed bags every month. I usually fill at least 2 bags...the usual junk.

Since we are on the subject, you know what really T's me off? Seeing someone toss a cigarette butt out their window at a stoplight or going down the road.

 

[Chuck52]

It's about time for me to clean up my road frontage. It's only a few hundred feet, but I always collect at least one big bag of stuff. Lots of beer cans and bottles, but always the cheap beers. This year there doesn't seem to be quite as much as the last yew years. That might be because we had a lot of construction down the road from us before the down turn hit. There was lots of construction debris, like concrete bags and such. I suspect that really did blow off trucks. However, the number of beer containers is down, too, so I would guess the construction workers were relaxing on their way home. I'll have to make myself a good nail stick so I can avoid some of the bending, but it's also handy when one comes to the do-I-really-want-to-touch-that stuff.

Chuck

 

[JRobyn]

Dumping has been a problem around us in TN. It used to be MUCH worse. A few years back, someone got the sherriff's attention about one particularly bad dump spot, and he stopped to look at it. Found a pizza box in some of the trash. Did you know that your name and address are coded onto the pizza box when it's delivered? It was all the sherriff needed. The judge gave the perp his choice of sentences; 30 days in jail, $x thousand (I forgot) fine, or clean up the entire dump site. Of course the perp chose the latter. Word got around fast.

- Jay

 

[kthompson]

For most trash I think our county in SC does a good job. Other than the fast food trash and beer cans and bottles. I miss the bottles with deposits.

 

[RobertN]

We had someone dump bags of trash at the bottom of our rural neighborhood.

So, we used to use this are for a common collection point. We all hauled our cans down there once a week. Garbage company picked up there. They would not take bags; everything had to be in cans. A few of us neighbors made a little fenced in area to keep it neat, keep dogs out etc. We did have some dumping; again, the garbage company only emptied cans. Every now and then there would be loose stuff or bags down there.

Garbage service siad they could do driveway collection, just needed approval from our little road association. So we did that, and now have driveway collection(we started about 1.5 years ago). We took down the fence, hung a sign noting all trash is driveway pick up.

This driveway service was working great. We had had it for about a month and a half. No trash at the bottom of the hill. Until...

I go down the hill to run to the fire station for a call. There at the old trash site, are ten or so bags of trash. All the neighbors knew; they already had thier garbage company cans, recycle can ect.

I came back from the fire station, and stopped to check it out. A lot of recyclable cheap beer bottles. And, a couple of reciepts for perscriptions with address and phone. I called but no one answered. Probably best; I would have given them an ear full. So, I called the Sheriff's office. Gave them all the info, explained everything.

The Sheriff called the people. They claimed that they lived in our neighborhood, but were unaware that the garbage service had changed. They apparently did not notice the sign... The Sheriff gave them a a talking to, and called me back to let me know. I told the Sheriff, there is no way they wouldn't know. We did due diligence to inform all the neighbors, took out the fence, posted signs ect.

I had to go out again afew hours later. The people had come by and picked it all up. Guess they didn't want a ticket.

Funny thing is, they placed a sign on the message board we have at the main road. "Warning; someone has been going thru trash, taking mail. Watch your trash".

Cracked me up

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Then there's what I call the "contractor's trashcan", throw the trash in the back of an open pickup, and let the wind blow it out as you drive down the road. I guess it makes people feel a little better that they didn't directly throw it on the ground....

 

[300UGUY]

Best thing the Michigan state legislature ever did was pass a bottle deposit law. People go out there all year long, collecting bottles. The grocery stores hated it, but it really cleaned up the roadsides.

 

[Taylortractornut]

Part of my land borders the road has been getting trashed by the renthouse trash down the road. Im not knocing renters just these. We live almost 2 miles from the county landfill and transferr station they have to pay for rubbish but trash dumping in the transferr is free for an individual. I was out on the skidsteer moving some downed trees and saw one of the puds chunking 2 bags of trash off in the ditch. I thought it had fallen off a truck as it happened in the same spot a week bfore but I saw them. Our local law that just spent umpteen dollars on sending some deputies off the detective school didnt know how to handle it.
Working in a private rubbish site we have experience on how easy it is to findout who chunked a bag of household in an industril can. I had the names of 5 folks that reside int the renthouses. The detectives/deputies didnt do a thing. I didnt want to handle the stuff so I burnt it in the ditch. Tire serial numbers arent a good indicator here because alot of tire stores sell used tires for farm wagons and truck and utility trailers. Cans get picked up, but bottles dont we dont have alot of litter on this road but there is alot now from the renters. We live near the highest point in MS and that road up woodall mountain is terrible with all the trassh that gets dumped in the ravines. used to after a big rain a fellow that owned part of the mountain used to gas it and lit it and burn it up. It was too far down for a machine other than a clambucket to get.
I know in the old days befor trash pickup hollows used to be used and it was ok they didnt scatter it and usuall ycovered it someway. I did a job near suck a place and the kids of the origianl owners remebers old peddle tractors being buried in there. I found 2 in good shape and several old cats eye marbeles and other neat things even an old singer sewing machine. All the stuff that wasnt neat or useable we put them into a dumpster. A lady came from 100 miles away to pick up al lthe old bottles for her art work.
I dont know why people dont save their trash, every house has a pickup in the county. just provide a set of cans and have them out on your day. But some still throw bags out now. In ALcorn county theres a swampy area and theres a road road that runs through it on the way to a friends house.. I have to go in the back way because the whole are smells like a city dumpster hal full of rancid garbage juice. One trip icounted 4000 tires 78 couches,53 matresses, 42 tv sets and entertainment centers, untold bags of garbage in the water. hotwater heaters and other appliances in there to. This used to be a clear flowing area. The county fixed it one time but its nearly about as bad again. I think west nile virus spurred its importance to clean out the canals. Tires are recycled and taken for free at the transferr station because of the tire disposal fees. The only thing at the landfill you have to hoist them up from your truck or trailer and put them in a 53 foot van trailer. I take mine and any I have that arent any good and take them to work in a special dumpster we can back the rolloff bed up to that trailer and roll them into it. I think we can get rid of 15 per month or 30 every 2 months.
Asfor oild changes I have afriend that picks up any oil from folks in the county once month for. He gives the folks 30 cents a gallon and a certain amoount for oil filters when he has a press and the crushes them and recovers the oil. He saves 2000 gallons and calls a recycler to pick up.

 

[dmccarty]

Some people are just pigs. Well, I am sorry to say pigs cause pigs are better creature than these people. In my county the transfer stations are free to use one can go as much as you want. The only thing you need is a sticker that is sent out every year. The sticker is a new thing to keep people from other counties dropping off trash in my county.

But we still have dumpers. Right behind us is some land that was subdivided. They have cleared out the property lines and one of those intersects our property. One of the property lines has to be 600+ feet long from our place to the subdivision road. Someone drove down that line to within a few yards of our land a dumped a bunch of yard waste. I think a tractor might have done it given how far it was dumped into the brush.

The transfer station is behind one grocery store and the only other grocery store in town is only a few hundred yards away. Its just not a big deal to take the trash to the transfer station. The person that dumped the trash near our land spent more time driving down that property line than it would have taken them to go to the transfer station....

Last time I walked that property line someone had dumped two very large, heavy but broken hydraulic jacks, 2-3 ton jacks. Very nice but broken. They walked them from the road to tree line and left them there for the mowing tractor to hit. Nice.

The dump would have taken the jacks.

Only one person in the subdivision to our front uses trash service. They only have one large trash container and its always overflowing. They need at least two containers and they certainly can afford one. Their trash gets blown all over the place but usually ends up on their land. You would think they would do something about the mess. And these people are college edicated with good high paying jobs.

We put up a gate across our road to keep people out. Prior to the gate and our ownership people would dump tires, trash, and yard waste. With the gate its all but stopped but I have had people dump used kitty litter and I think someone dumped some used oil. They did this when we had left the gate up as we came and went. The transfer station takes both kitty litter and used oil.

Some people don't think, are just dump, and don't care.

Later,
Dan

 

[polo1665]

A few years ago a couple of friends and I cleaned out a pond at a local golf course. Got about 3,000 golf balls from one small pond. As we were sorting through and cleaning them we kept a tally of the different brands of balls we found. We found that the ball of choice for golfers that hit it into the water was Top Flite. About 85% of the balls found were that brand.

Yesterday I decided to head down to the end of the drive and clean the roadside of garbage (about 500' of frontage on a highly travelled state route). While doing this I couldn't help but make mental notes of the brands of choice for litter bugs.

Chips of choice - Doritos

Pop of choice - Mountain Dew/Pepsi (mostly plastic bottles filled to some extent with tobacco spit.)

Beer of choice - Bud Light (By the way, I was amazed at the amount of empty beer bottles and cans. Does the repressed guilt of littering lead to drinking, is it only drunks that litter, or is it a combination of the two?)

Cigarette of choice - Varied, but mostly menthol.

Fast food of choice - McDonalds (By a small margin, mainly due to drink cups.) Taco Bell also weighed in heavily.

Gambling method of choice - Scratch off lottery tickets (none of which were discarded by mistake, I checked)

Some other miscellaneous items: Newspaper mail box, Home pregnency test, Retread tire fragments, Torn shingles, Children's deck of cards (not sure if I got all 52 of them, didn't count), Small (empty) bottle of Jagermeister, Newspaper pages, Plastic cup lids and straws.

I've come to the conclusion that alot of people are just plain slobs that think about nothing other than there own personal space. Atleast though, everyone that drove by had the common courtesy not to throw anything out while I was picking up. Perhaps that is one bright spot.

I filled three large (30 gallon I believe) trash bags in just that 500'. I may decide to go further down the road if time allows.

Mark

 

[Taylortractornut]

I took a gardening class one time and had to do 40 hours commuinity service to pay for it. My friend at the city put me on a sidewinder hog and as I was mowing I found a set of burnt box springs in the grass. I was ticked had to go home get a torch and burn it off layer by layer. when Iron got so high I i noticed all the roadside dumps were picked clean by the pickers but left all the paper. Ill take ll the yard waste that a person wants to bring here. I compost it, My new neighbors complain but it could be alot worse lol. We have the orange pajama brigade come through often but theres still no excuse for it.
I live on the old main road, used to be HWY25 but way before my time it was bypassed and alot of folks hauling couches and shingel take this road to duck off the main road when hauling. The transferr station is offthe main roade but this gives a bout 3 miles of rural road to lose stuff on. One day I saw a town 1 ton dump hauling a load of rubbish to t he dump. no tarp or net on the load loosing couches and such. I called the city but it did no good. Then one evening I was comming home in my dump truck and aw the town truck going up ahaed of me with a load of used carpet rolled up. I had to down shift and lost him on the next 2 hills. I broke over the hill I live on and he had lost a roll at the peak and I didnt see it. It went across both lanes, I to off both new fiberglas running boards off my truck. I was made I ran hime down and gave an almighty chewing. He smarted off so the next day I had a friend that was a DOT wait in my driveway. Same truck and driver came through and lost couch and a matress and kept going. That was the end of the City using this road.

 

[Redbug]

This is an interesting thread. I am comforted in knowing that I am not the only one that feels the way I do...However, I think we are a minority...Also, I honestly don't know how someone can drink a Bud Light that looks like it is almost quart size. Driving and drinking. I have picked up a few of those big ones, lately.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I got a lot of corona bottles to pick up along my road, before they find my tractor tires.

 

[Taylortractornut]

Red Bug thats called a 40 oz. And if you drink 3 of them in pretty quick succession youll not remeber the next 2 to 3 hours lol. I bent a crankshaft on a push mower one time hitting one in some tall grass. One time going through the country the back roads from Iuka to Burnsville I cam across an old logging landing. every 2 or three days it was anew couch or chair there. The county at the time was having alot to do with ther e backhoe and trucks and didnt have time to mess with it. I was working in the area and a Game warden asked me to haul load them up on my dump with the hoe. I told him Id have to charge for 4 trips to get it all but ashes were easier to haul. I had 5 gallons of fuel with me and a lighter I put about 2 on it and lit it. That site was plain old nasty baby diapers and all had been there 4 or 5 mattresses and tons of furniture. It was damp out and on a clear spring night, the forestry service came by to see it. The nastiest place though was the dump over in Alcorn county tht place just makes me sick.