Keeping Pennsylvania Beautiful released surveys regarding Northampton and Lehigh counties.
An environmental group's nine-year survey of illegal dumps in Pennsylvania found 67 sites in Northampton and Lehigh Counties holding 96 tons of trash.
Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful found 51 illegal dumps with 63.5 tons of trash in Northampton County and 16 illegal dumps in Lehigh County with 32 tons of trash.
The organization, a state chapter of Keep America Beautiful, began the survey in 2004. Friday, it announced the results for the final six counties, including Northampton and Lehigh.
The surveys help the organization better understand littering problems in specific areas, said Shannon Reiter, president of Keep America Beautiful.
“We’re tired of cleaning up, our volunteers are tired of cleaning up,” Reiter said. “We needed to better quantify the dumping. Cleaning up is just a band-aid, it’s not a solution.”
In Northampton and Lehigh counties, most illegal dumps were near waterways and the most common trash was construction and demolition debris. Tires, household trash and bagged trash were also common, and most of the waste was considered recyclable.
Reiter said it's common for people to throw trash over a hill, where there is usually a river or creek at the bottom.“If we were to prioritize cleanup, these would be high priority sites,” Reiter said.
The survey suggests that curbside pickup, recycling programs, other disposal options, enforcement and education are lacking. Reiter said the state needs an improved system, cookie-cutter or otherwise. Making disposal centers available to people who don’t have access to curbside disposal would be a possible solution, she said.
Other solutions suggested by the survey include organizing a cleanup or special collection event and placing physical deterrents.
Keeping Pennsylvania Beautiful is piloting a surveillance system to watch dumping sites, Reiter said. She said the agency is looking to learn the cycles of dumping.
“It’s interesting to study for the level of data regarding illegal dumping,” Reiter said.
Pennsylvania is the first state in the country to look at illegal dumping in this way, Reiter said.