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DOUGLAS COUNTY Littering calls in Douglas County up 65 percent after dump fees implemented $3-per-can fee waived for those who volunteer to clean up trash Comment By Ian Campbell Roseburg News-Review MailTribune.com By Ian Campbell Roseburg News-Review Posted Nov. 29, 2015 at 8:06 PM By Ian Campbell Roseburg News-Review Posted Nov. 29, 2015 at 8:06 PM » Social News Sunlight streamed through the tree tops on Marvin Hill, west of Sutherlin, as the fresh autumn air mixed with the oncoming winter winds. A blue jay watched curiously, perched precariously above the soft ground as leaves, clinging to branches for as long as they could, fluttered silently to the ground before coming to rest on a worn-out mattress with rusty springs jutting out in all directions. It’s a scene becoming all too common in forests and woodlands around Douglas County, and many are pointing to the newly implemented dump fees as the culprit to blame. Piles of trash are accumulating at a faster, and likely larger, rate as people look for ways around coughing up a $3-per-can fee to dispose of old items and everyday household trash. Since July 1, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office has responded to 71 litter-related calls, up 65 percent from the same time period in 2014 when the sheriff’s office received 43 calls. “It’s a problem,” said Rick Held, a timber deputy with the sheriff’s office who is contracted out to the Bureau of Land Management and Douglas Timber Operators to patrol the forests. “It’s such an eyesore, and when people dump trash, they’ll dump five or six garbage bags and then within a few days, the animals will get into the bags and the trash will get strewn everywhere and it makes a giant mess.” Held, who responds to littering calls, says even without the raw data, he’s noticed an increase in the number of locations people choose to dump garbage. Held quickly referenced three recent arrests, including one of a person who had dumped a large amount of household garbage on Marvin Hill. In early November, deputies received a report of a large dump on a Seneca Jones landing and were able to find mail belonging to a residence in Sutherlin. When deputies made contact with the residents, officers learned that the residents had paid their neighbor, 35-year-old Mark Cole, to take the garbage to the dump. Cole, who was later contacted by deputies, confirmed chucking the trash in the woods after realizing he didn’t have enough money to pay the dump fee after fueling his truck. As a consequence, Cole was cited for offensive littering, which can carry a fine up to $1,250 — or the cost of dropping 416 bags of garbage at the dump or having 44 loads of garbage picked up. “As I told the guy, he drove farther out Marvin Hill than it would have taken him to drive to the dump in Oakland,” Held said. “But he told me he just didn’t have the money, at $3 a bag to pay the fees, so I convinced the neighbors that it was worth it, at like $28 a month, to just get garbage service.” But the problem likely isn’t going away — after all, people are always going to litter, Held said. The hope however, is that hunters and other trail-goers continue to report trash piles to authorities so law enforcement officers can sift through the garbage and find clues as to who may have left the pile. Douglas County Commissioner Chris Boice said the county “absolutely anticipated an increase in illegal dumping,” but that preventions were put in place to fight the increase. “The situation for us was that we didn’t really have the revenue to deal with illegal dumping before we implemented the fee, but we built into the landfill budget some money for work crew supervision for illegal dump sites,” Boice said. To ease concerns that law-abiding citizens would have to foot the bill if they volunteered to clean up a dump site, the county created a so-called volunteer disposal pass, where people can have the dump fees waived if they collect and transfer the garbage to a county dump. Robb Paul with Douglas County Public Works says those who wish to clean up dump sites simply have to call the county’s public works or maintenance number, report the site, and request a letter that would absolve the person from being charged at the dumps before beginning to clean the area. “Sometimes we ask for the site not to be picked up if it’s big enough so law enforcement could then track down the person responsible,” Paul said. Those who find a trash pile and wish to volunteer to clean up can call 541-440-4208 or 541-440-4268 to request a waiver. By Ian Campbell Roseburg News-Review MailTribune.com By Ian Campbell Roseburg News-Review Posted Nov. 29, 2015 at 8:06 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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