Illegal dumping cases up sharply in Memphis area

Tom Charlier | Memphis Commercial Appeal

At a remote dead-end near the Wolf River in North Memphis, a truck pulled up recently with load of used furniture and mattresses and unceremoniously dumped it before driving off into the night.

The episode, however brief, was captured on a hidden camouflaged camera installed by the city of Memphis. By tracking the truck's license plate and vehicle registration, authorities identified the violator, who avoided prosecution by agreeing to pay $812 in restitution to cover the cost of cleaning up the refuse and disposing of it properly.

The incident was among a growing number of illegal-dumping cases reported this year by state and local officials.

Less than halfway through 2018, authorities have investigated at least 12 cases in Memphis and Shelby County — a number approaching the average of 15 they usually resolve in an entire year.

The reasons for the increase aren't entirely clear, although they could include an improving economy, particularly an uptick in the housing market, as well as the cost and difficulty of disposing of items such as tires and mattresses, officials say.

"The way the economy is picking up, there are more opportunities for people to engage in this type of activity," said Ronne Adkins, director of external affairs for the Memphis region of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.

The job of investigating and cleaning up illegal dumping falls to a group known as the "E-Team," a cooperative effort involving TDEC officials, local police, city and county leaders and prosecutors.

They've targeted illegal dumping as a priority because of the many environmental, health and socioeconomic ills it can cause. In addition to creating eyesores and fueling blight, illicit dumps can serve as prime breeding sites for disease-carrying mosquitoes while releasing pollutants into streams.

"We want to see our community thrive and prosper in a way that's presentable," Adkins said. "Memphis used to win awards for its cleanliness."

In a measure of the scope of the problem, state and local officials have identified more than 200 sites in the Memphis area where dumping is common.

Illegal dumping cases are resolved in varying ways depending on where they occur and the amount and types of waste involved. A case involving less than $1,000 in damage and expenses might trigger a misdemeanor vandalism charge, while those costing more than $1,000 are felonies.

Recent cases include a suspect who was photographed dumping four loads of tires in Southwest Memphis. Although the images didn't capture the license plate, authorities later identified the vehicle, leading to a guilty plea by the suspect.

In another case, the owner of a half dozen duplexes hired a company to clean the units of items left by previous residents. Instead of going to a legally permitted landfill, the company dumped the refuse along a cove in the Northaven area south of Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park.

By sifting through mail found at the site, authorities tracked down former residents who led them to the duplex owner and the operator of the cleanup company, who agreed to pay the county $1,021 in restitution.

Authorities say they often prefer to avoid the time and cost of prosecuting cases in court, opting to get agreements in which violators pay restitution instead. Most violators are willing to settle, especially when they're operators of small businesses, TDEC officials say.

Many of the investigations rely on the covert trail cameras installed near known dumping sites by the city of Memphis. Public Works Director Robert Knecht said the city initially tried using SkyCop cameras, which provide audio and video surveillance and generally cost $3,000-4,000 apiece.

"They got vandalized because they're so easy to see," he said.

After switching to the covert trail cameras, which cost $150-200 each, "we've had great success," Knecht said.

The 2018-19 operating budget approved by the City Council on Tuesday included funding for a new Environmental Enforcement office, a partner operation to Code Enforcement. It will enforce ordinances covering illegal dumping, littering and other environmental offenses.

Reach Tom Charlier at thomas.charlier@commercialappeal.com or 901-529-2572 and on Twitter at @thomasrcharlier.