Cameras made available through the Keep PA Beautiful Surveillance Camera Loan Program caught illegal dumping of electronics waste as it happened at a Recycling Center in Millersburg Borough, Dauphin County.
The perpetrators were caught and cited for illegal dumping and were ordered to pay a fine and restitution.
Leaving items at recycling facilities that are not accepted is considered theft of service or illegal dumping.
Illegal dumping is not only encourages more dumping and is detrimental to the environment. It also imposes a financial burden on our local municipalities, as they are often the ones left to clean up the mess.
In turn, this costs taxpayers money. Non-acceptable items also cause additional work for employees and can potentially contaminate other materials. This contamination can make otherwise appropriate items now unacceptable for recycling, thereby reducing revenue for the municipality.
Many drop off centers across the state have been forced to close due to illegal dumping, impacting services for all who rely on that facility.
Cameras installed through the Keep PA Beautiful Camera Loan Program have caught illegal dumping all over Pennsylvania resulting in citations and convictions.
In the Dauphin County case, Keep PA Beautiful worked with the Borough of Millersburg for almost four years through the Program.
This fruitful partnership has resulted in seven successful prosecutions resulting in over $3,000 collected in fines and costs. However, only a small portion of those fines and costs were held locally to cover municipal costs.
The KPB Surveillance Camera Loan Program is open to municipalities, counties, government agencies, as well as nonprofit organizations.
The grant includes the loan of a set of three high quality, motion activated, covert security cameras that provide instant wireless transmission of site activity, photo documentation of license plates at speeds of up to 50 MPH, and clear photos of activity day or night, which are key to prosecutions.
Visit the KPB Surveillance Camera Loan Program webpage or contact Rob Dubas to find out more by sending an email to: rdubas@keeppabeautiful.org.
For more information on programs, initiatives and special events, visit the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Click Here to become a member. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from KPB, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, Discover them on Pinterest and visit their YouTube Channel.
Also visit the Illegal Dump Free PA website for more ideas on how to clean up communities and keep them clean and KPB’s Electronics Waste website.
Sign up now for the 2020 Pick Up Pennsylvania Initiative and volunteer or set up your own cleanup event from March 1 to May 31. Questions should be directed to Michelle Dunn at 1-877-772-3673 Ext. 113 or send email to: mdunn@keeppabeautiful.org.
(Photo: Actual surveillance photo.)
[Posted: January 28, 2020] PA Environment Digest
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