Concerted efforts have been waged for years to clean up areas of illegally dumped household waste, furniture, tires, construction and demolition debris, recyclables, and hard to dispose of items. 

Keep Washington County Beautiful and Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful have partnered with the Washington County Court System Furlough Into Service (Program, funded by the Department of Community and Economic Development-Local Share Account Program, and local officials and law enforcement; the ultimate goal is a clean and beautiful Washington County.

High-tech cameras will be utilized throughout Washington County to capture license plate numbers and images of acts of illegal dumping and vehicle descriptions.  All evidence gathered from these cameras will be used to prosecute individuals to the fullest extent of the law. 

Enforcement actions including monetary fines and community service hours will be imposed on violators.  The cameras will be repositioned around the county as needed.

Two individuals have been fined in the past several months for illegally dumping waste along Washington County roads. 

Evidence found in local dumpsites resulted in successful prosecutions against Shawn Lee Green of Claysville for $449.00 and Tina M. Terry of Belle Vernon for $439.00.  Two other cases are currently in process.  Illegal dumping in Washington County will not be tolerated.

Illegal dumpsites have existed throughout Washington County for decades, plaguing roadways, hillsides, and streams.  In 2005, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful’s Illegal Dump Survey identified 126 sites, containing an estimated 317 tons of trash. 

Some sites are inactive and once cleaned up will stay that way.  Other sites are active and new raw waste is continually being added on a regular basis.  Cleaning up illegally dumped waste can cost between $800 and $1,000 per ton; costs included in this estimate are site identification and verification of ownership, logistics coordination, and all direct costs including waste hauling and disposal. 

Negative environmental and economic impacts affect citizens, wildlife, and the natural landscape.  Chemicals, asbestos, and drug-related waste could impose more elevated risks.

Questions regarding proper disposal of waste and recycling in Washington County can be answered by Jason Theakston, Recycling Coordinator, Washington County Planning Commission, at 724-228-6811, or by sending email to: theakstj@co.washington.pa.us.

11/19/2012