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Illegal dumping

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February 14, 2005

Have you ever thought about what happens when you litter? It seems like the problem is no longer yours doesn't it. You don't have to pay to pick it up do you?

Actually, you do. If you throw something on the ground someone else picks it up right. But who pays that person to pick it up? Well, if it's on City property then it's the City who pays the tab on that one. So in the end, we all get to pay to pick up your trash. What if it's on private property? The private citizen then has to pay to pick up the trash; either with their own time, or actually paying to have some one get rid of the garbage.

Now, what if you litter on a business' property, or just plain old throw your garbage in with theirs? The business pays for it. They can handle that right? It's no big deal because they've got money. Well, how do you think they got that money? Probably from providing a service or selling a product. So if their cost of operation goes up, so does the price of that service or product, and in the end we all suffer from someone else's inconsiderateness.

For the most part, the City provides trash pick up. But in some way or another everyone pays for his or her trash whether it's though taxes, fees, or included in costs of services being provided by private contractors.

Last year the City of Saco spent $16,000 on one household hazardous waste (HHW) drop-off day. (By the way, we are working on scheduling HHW drop off days for 2005). HHW days are expensive it's true. But I'm sure that no one wants to call Clean Harbor, or Safety Kleen and ask them to come and pick up a couple gallons of oil based paint. They've got a fee for just driving out to your location, never mind the cost of disposing of your HHW. HHW is nasty stuff. I mean, hazardous is in its title. So what happens when someone leaves hazardous waste on the side of the road? The person who's property its on has to pay for it. The City got a grant from the State Planning Office for half of the cost of the HHW drop off day, but in the case of a private citizen, there's no aid for them. That is of course if the HHW is discovered. If left untreated it soaks into the ground and eventually into the water and then we all suffer the consequences.

Be considerate of your waste, you do end up paying for it after all. Illegal dumping is not something that helps you blend in with your neighbors. Just like Karma, our actions come back to us.

I am interested to hear what is being done in the community and schools to prevent waste. Please send me your questions and comments to swojcoski@sacomaine.org or via the Courier. Please specify whether it is okay to include your name if your idea or letter is reprinted in the column.