The dangers of dumps

Protecting the environment begins on the surface

For all the talk about climate change and concern about industrial-scale pollution, it’s important to remember that safeguarding the environment starts much closer to home.

That was the takeaway of Post-Gazette staff writer Don Hopey’s story Sunday about the proliferation of illegal dump sites in Allegheny County.

There are at least 486 of these places where people have dropped tires, garbage, bedding, construction debris or other items that they couldn’t be bothered to dispose of properly. That number excludes those in the city of Pittsburgh, which wasn’t part of the Allegheny CleanWays survey.

These dumps — on hillsides and vacant lots, in alleys and other backwater spots — are eyesores that mar a community’s image and limit its potential. It’s no surprise that many dumps are in struggling communities. Remember the broken-windows theory, which correlates signs of decay with crime?

There’s no telling what hazards lurk beneath the mounds of debris. Gasoline, motor oil, paint, antifreeze or refrigerant may be contaminating soil or water. A dropped match could send bags of garbage and construction debris up in flames. Birds or animals could choke on trash or be poisoned by it. The problem is getting worse. The 486 dumps are up from the 202 counted during a 2005 canvass of communities outside Pittsburgh. The actual number is certain to be much higher; there likely are many dumps on private property that surveyors couldn’t access. Then there are the ones in the city, numbering close to 900 according to a 2009 survey and updating that’s occurred since then.

Allegheny CleanWays remediates these sites all the time but feels like it’s fighting a losing battle. Its survey, bringing the scope of the problem into sharp focus, should motivate others to help with the work or at least spur people to dispose of waste properly.

The group is heartened by a recent state law that requires those convicted of littering to perform community service in addition to paying fines. But there’s other muscle to be leveraged. Some counties put low-risk offenders on litter patrol, and those that don’t should start doing so.

Would-be dumpers should remember that dogged investigators might trace debris back to them, and Allegheny CleanWays wants to enhance that possibility with a system for tracking tires. If tires turn up at a dump site, the purchasers or others responsible for disposing of them would have some explaining to do. Allegheny CleanWays is urging the Legislature, already considering such a system for Philadelphia, to enact it statewide.

Government also can help to prevent illegal dumping by ensuring residents have ample opportunities to dispose of hazardous or bulky items. That means making sure refuse haulers take what they’re supposed to pick up so that residents aren’t left in the lurch.

It also means providing guidelines for the safe disposal of hazardous household waste, giving residents a list of places where these items can be taken or, better yet, holding periodic collection programs that enable residents to drop off items for an affordable fee.

In addition, municipalities should mobilize residents — Earth Day would be an opportune time — to clean up their neighborhoods. Even one illegal dump is a threat to the environment.