Dunbar Township residents say illegal dumping is getting worse
DUNBAR TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KDKA) — Illegal dumping is a problem that has plagued rural areas for years, but in Dunbar Township, residents say it's rapidly becoming worse.
Township supervisors say the person responsible for dumping all of the trash near Gettamy Road is familiar with the area. It's literally off the beaten path, so you would have to know how to get here.
A resident who owns a hunting cabin off the road, which cuts through the mountainside, woke up to find a heap of trash piled high in a clearing off the side of the road. Leapline, who lives nearby, isn't surprised.
"I thought it was sick cause, like, I know we clean up garbage right here all the time. What we'll do is stack it up and burn it. It's disgusting. People have garbage all the way up and down this road if you haven't noticed," Leapline said.
Township supervisors say it looks as if the person who dumped the garbage may have just cleaned out their basement or possibly operates a hauling company and decided to get rid of the items instead of paying a landfill fee.
KDKA-TV found a vacuum cleaner, a chair, an ironing board, a kid's basketball hoop, even a newspaper dating back to the 1980s. Illegal dumping has become a serious problem in rural areas like Dunbar Township and can cause a number of problems — including environmental damage, health risks and increased taxes for cleanup projects, just to name a few.
"It's hurting the animals. Animals don't want to live with this garbage," Leapline said. "They can get caught up in different garbage. We try to make sure that we clean it up but it's getting worse."
The township is offering $500 for information that can lead to the prosecution of the offender or offenders. The township is encouraging anyone with information to come forward.
"I think they should be fined or let them do community service and clean up the whole area," Leapline said.
