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Video catches illegal dumping at recycling site
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - May 20, 2010)
Video catches illegal dumping at recycling site
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
Munson Township is putting people on notice -- don't abuse the recycling and trash-day services.
That issue came to light recently when two men were caught by video cameras disposing household trash into a recycling receptacle that was reserved for a senior trash day.
Too often, township Zoning Inspector Timothy Kearns said, inconsiderate people decide not to follow the rules and leave a mess that township workers have to spend time and money rectifying. "We are not spending time and money to have our guys having to come and clean up the mess," he said.
The Munson Township recycling centers are among the busiest in Geauga County, Mr. Kearns said. Of 1,700 locations, Munson ranked fourth in terms of recyclable materials, he said. Last year, the township collected 111.36 tons of paper and cardboard, he said.
In the recent incident, it was the road crew that had to deal with a couch, chairs, a vacuum and other household trash that were placed in a Dumpster, Mr. Kearns said.
The road crew asked that surveillance tapes be checked to determine if a culprit could be identified.
"The tape was scanned, and it was found that, on April 25 at 1:36 p.m., a white Dodge Ram pickup with black stripes on the rear bed of the truck was seen coming down the driveway to a large roll-off container that was parked in the recycling area left from Munson's cleanup days," Mr. Kearns wrote in a memo to Township Trustees.
He said the township invested approximately $4,000 two years ago on the surveillance system because of ongoing problems at the recycling center. He said abuse is not exclusive to Munson, since almost every recycling site has similar problems.
Mr. Kearns said the township was fortunate, because the driver that arrived to haul away the Dumpster removed the items the two men had dumped. If the driver had not done that, he said, the township would have forfeited the amount it would have received for scrap metal.
From the tape, township workers were able to identify the truck and the driver.
Mr. Kearns said the matter was turned over to Deputy Mike Matsik, of the Geauga County Sheriff's Department, who serves as the officer in charge of compliance in recycling centers.
Mr. Matsik paid a visit to the driver's home, Mr. Kearns said. The man admitted to dumping the items but said he thought trash day was still going on and the items came from his mother's home.
Mr. Matsik recommended that the township, rather than go to court, send a warning letter to the offender. The warning would include a threat of criminally charging the man if he is ever caught in that situation again.
Mr. Kearns said he agreed with Mr. Matsik's assessment.
"It is my recommendation that the township gains nothing by going forward with prosecution in this specific case due to the fact there is a good chance it would be dismissed in court because the male did not deny the incident; he provided information willingly; the time factor to take the matter to court is six months to two years; and the roll-off was still there on Sunday and all signs regarding the cleanup day had been removed on Saturday, April 24," he said.
Mr. Kearns said in this case the township chose not to prosecute, but it has the ability to determine when abuse is occurring and will use the sheriff's department when needed.
"We need to get the word out to show people we're serious about this," Mr. Kearns said.
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