Harrisburg cracking down on illegal dumping; Here’s how
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(WHTM)– There is an issue of illegal dumping in Harrisburg that officials call an epidemic that deserves harsher penalties.
On Monday lawmakers introduced new ways to crack down on a problem that’s plagued the city for years.
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“Cleaning up illegal dumping is like plugging holes in the bottom of a leaky boat,” Mayor Wanda Williams said.
Williams says this isn’t the first time she’s promised to crack down on those who dump their trash illegally but this time is different.
“We have the full cooperation of Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo,” Williams said.
From now on, all illegal dumping cases will be heard through one Magisterial District Judge.
“That judge will realize the breadth of the problem,” Chardo said.
In 2023 the city picked up over 660 tons of illegally dumped trash, costing taxpayers over $153,000 and none of it was recouped from fines or charges.
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In October, abc27 rode along with the city’s Public Works Department where bulk illegally dumped items and piles of junk seem to make their way along the different alleys.
But despite how many times crews clean up the trash, it makes its way back.
“Every day, five days a week, Monday through Friday,” Harrisburg Public Works Director David West said.
“We’re all here to say, enough is enough and we are committed to full legal enforcement to clean up our capital city,” Dauphin County Commissioner Mike Pries said.
Instead of its own ordinance, the city will now prosecute illegal dumping cases through the crimes code, carrying more weight.
“The first offense is a summary offense but the second or subsequent offense becomes a misdemeanor automatically,” Chardo said. “If the person is convicted of even the summary, part of their penalty is, if it’s not jail sentence, they must pay a mandatory minimum fine and they must perform at least five and up to 30 hours within six months of picking up garbage in the place they committed the offense.”
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Something Chardo says gives teeth to the penalty.
A retired Pennsylvania State Police Corporal has been appointed as a special county detective to prosecute illegal dumping under the crimes code and work alongside city officials.
“We’re going to use every tool, whether that’s cameras, interviews, whatever it’s going to be, we’re going to do identify the people who are doing this,” Chardo said.
Hot Spot Saturdays are also making a return. The clean-up days will start on April 13 and run through the spring and summer.
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