Last month, Eagle Police found a trash pile of old paint and chemicals — and the hull of a boat — dumped in the gravel pit just off Hill Road. It was one of many illegal trash dumps that show up all over the Treasure Valley with disturbing regularity.
Today, that area is spotless. Thanks to some excellent work from Ada County Sheriff’s deputies and Eagle Police officers, the culprit was identified last week and cleaned up the entire area — including trash he didn’t dump there in the first place, like the hull of the boat.
It turns out the man who dumped the paint and chemicals was working as a sub-contractor for a local foreclosure company. Once he was contacted, he confessed immediately and had the mess cleaned up a few days later.
Deputies are requiring the man to show receipts from the Ada County Landfill to prove that he safely disposed of the paint and the rest of the trash. The man will not be cited in connection with the case because he took care of the mess so quickly and thoroughly.
Illegal dumping is a widespread problem in Ada County — and it just isn’t in the far-flung desert.
Considering how the potential penalty for the misdemeanor charge of placing debris on public property is a $1,000 fine and up to six months in jail, wouldn’t it be much easier and less costly to take such trash to the Ada County Landfill on Seamans Gulch Road?
Households can get rid of hazardous materials like old cans of paint and small amounts of chemicals at the Landfill for free.
Businesses are allowed to get rid of up to 2600 pounds of hazardous material every year at the Landfill for a small fee.
Most household loads of trash (think the bed of a half-ton pickup) cost about $11 to dispose of at the landfill.