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County addresses illegal dumping
Submitted Photo - Before recent initiatives, such as the Environmental Enforcement program that began in 2010, illegal dump sites like this dotted Collin County. Officials have set up surveillance cameras and large recycle bins throughout the county to help curb the issue.
By Dan Eakin, deakin@starlocalnews.com
Illegal dumping has been a major problem in Collin County for years, but thanks to an Environmental Enforcement program that began in 2010, the problem is now not as serious.
Jon Kleinheksel, Collin County director of public works, told county commissioners Monday that major steps have been taken in recent years to reduce illegal dumping in the county.
He gave a PowerPoint presentation to the commissioners outlining the various ways in which the county continues to battle illegal dumping.
The presentation revealed that the county has used grant money to purchase cameras, promote recycling programs and locate dumpsters throughout the county where people can legally deposit their trash and other items.
"We have received several grants over the years," Kleinheksel said. "We currently have two grants pending, one for hazard household waste and another for public service announcements."
The county implemented the Environmental Enforcement program in 2010 with an investment of about $140,000.
"Minus the initial investment, Collin County realizes a monetary savings of $268,000," Kleinheksel told the commissioners. "A couple months into the third year of the program, public works is beginning to realize both a substantial savings and a dramatic decrease in the number of illegal dump sites."
He said the county has also been able to save substantially by using probationers with the Community Supervision and Corrections Department (CSCD) to pick up litter and check for illegal dump sites.
He also said nine public works employees have been certified with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officers (TCLEOSE) to get prisoners out of jail to help in the clean-up efforts.
County Judge Keith Self told Kleinheksel he believes that the county has made progress in combating illegal dumping, and that the public needs to be aware of the consequences of such dumping.
Kleinheksel said, "Fines and penalties can be wide ranging, depending on whether they are determined to be a misdemeanor or a felony. Jail time is definitely a possibility."
He said illegal dumping costs taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in clean-up expenses and lost man hours, and impedes public works employees from accomplishing their primary job functions.
Dump sites can be dangerous because some contain hazardous materials and toxic waste, Kleinheksel said.
He added, "They are eyesores and diminish the beauty of our county."
County officials have located certain areas in the county that appear to be popular sites for illegal dumping.
Two motion-activated night-vision cameras have been set up to capture images of people who are dumping illegally. At one site, however, a camera that the county had set up was stolen, Kleinheksel said.
The county is doing what it can to provide places for people to dump legally. Eight recycle bins are set up throughout the county, including in Melissa, Branch, Nevada, Copeville, Weston and Lucas.
"The county has transitioned to a prevention-focused approach from a reactionary one," Kleinheksel said.
The county used grant money to purchase television time and distribute pamphlets to publicize the need to reduce illegal dumping in the county. The cover of one of the pamphlets states, "We're watching. Illegal dumping is a crime and an insult to our county."
A page on the county's website is dedicated to combating illegal dumping and lists the 24-hour hotline to report illegal dumping.
Kleinheksel said there are more avenues the county can explore to further combat illegal dumping. Some plans for the future include the use of billboards to publicize the need to combat illegal dumping, more wireless surveillance cameras, Spanish language pamphlets, network air time to broadcast public service announcements in 2012 and an additional environmental deputy.
Collin County Sheriff's Deputy Lee Howe is the county's only environmental enforcement officer.
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