What Is Illegal Dumping?
The discarding of any household trash, bulky items, yard trimmings,
medical waste, dead animals or hazardous materials in a place that is
NOT PERMITTED to dispose of these materials
A misdemeanor under Nevada State Law, punishable by fines and jail
time (Nevada Revised Statute 444.630)
“Open Dumping” and “Midnight Hauling”
A careless, dangerous act that jeopardizes the health and safety of
people, animals and the environment
An ugly eyesore on the landscape
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Who
dumps illegally?
Commercial Businesses
Local Residents
Your neighbors?
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| Why
do people do it (Excuses)?
“There is already trash piled up there”
“That’s what everyone else does”
“We had to get rid of this junk”
They do not understand the harm that they are doing to people and the
environment
No local trash collection services
No landfill or transfer station nearby
To avoid paying for bulky items at disposal facilities
The landfill or transfer station is not open
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Where does illegal
dumping happen?
Remote areas in the desert and mountains
Quarries, gravel pits and mines
Washes and other low lying areas
Public lands, BLM/USFS, state parks
Tribal lands
Roadsides
Your neighborhood?
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How can illegal dumping harm
people and the environment?
Public Health Hazards:
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Trash can be physically harmful
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Sharp metals cause cuts
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Refrigerators can trap and suffocate children
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Trash and junk attract scavengers and pests
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Diseases (West Nile, Hanta Virus, encephalitis
hepatitis)
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Dead animals attract predators that could be dangerous
to humans
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Hazardous Chemicals can contaminate air, soil
and water
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Odors, illegal dumps stink!
Illegal dumps catch fire
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Materials, like junk cars, batteries, antifreeze
and gasoline
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Liquid wastes (55 gallon drums, solvents, oil)
often contain hazardous chemical that can contaminate air, soil and
water
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If it ends up on the ground it could end up in
your drinking water!
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Existing piles of garbage attract more dumping
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| Did
you know?
- Surface Water – covers 70% of
earth’s surface
- Sea water = 97%, Fresh water = 3%
- Glaciers & ice sheets = 2% available water
- Surface and ground water = 1% available water
- A significant amount of Nevada’s drinking water comes from ground
water sources (~ 40%)
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What can I do to help?
Put garbage where it belongs:
Trash bags and cans
Dumpsters
Transfer station or landfill
Recycling bin
Participate in community clean up activities (ECAID)
Pick up lose trash when you see it
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| How can illegal
dumping harm people and the environment?
Economic Hazards:
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Businesses do not want to locate in areas that
are full of trash
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Because… customers do not want to go to these
places
…employees do not want to work in these places
…they may be held responsible for clean up costs
Property values can decline
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Do you want to live near a dump? Neither does anyone
else
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Clean up of “Open Dumps” can cost many
times more than the price of proper disposal
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Environmental contamination can cost millions of
dollars!
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Who
enforces the laws?
Local, tribal, county or state law enforcement officials,
county or state district attorneys offices and courts
BLM, USFS, USEPA
NDOW, NDEP Solid Waste Branch
Illegal Dumping Hotline Numbers:
Elko County: 775-777-7300
State of Nevada: 775-687-9485 or 888-331-NDEP(6337)
Press Release
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