Land owner submitted photo.
MAY 25, 2024 Lisa Investigates Column: Repurposer Needed To Take Illegal Dumpers Junk!
By Lisa Loucks-Christenson
Published by Rochester Sun Times News on May 25, 2024 at 15:07.
An anonymous property owner in Oronoco, Minnesota is concerned about the growing issue of illegal dumping, which poses risks to their family, pets, and wildlife.
Screenshot from Google search on Sec. 609.68 MN Statutes.
The old statue at the MN Revisor’s Office, under Sec. 609.68 MN Statutes, prohibited unauthorized garbage deposits and classified it as a petty misdemeanor.
At least it used to be. However, when I clicked on the link below, the information is gone.
I think it has been “dumped.” I’ll post the updated page above when I find the updated page.
Link I used for sleuthing: MN Revisor’s Office (.gov) https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/id=609.68 found here:
What should a landowner do with unwanted items like a mattress, box spring, and kitchen sink? If they had a forensic lab inside their barn, maybe they could run some DNA tests and trace down who dumped it. There should be fingerprints on the faucet hardware, hair on the bed and box spring, probably hair and house dust, pet fur in the fan blades, and more.
Search for serial numbers and paper trails on other junk. The mattress and box spring in the photo look disheveled, suggesting someone already checked for money underneath.
What if the sink contains corrosive materials? What if the bed is infested with fleas, lice, and more?
Dumping is an ongoing problem. Where there is nightfall, there is a truck, somewhere, with a load to get rid of. The sight of garbage spread across highways, ravines, and our city is unfortunately all too common.
Unfortunately, for this landowner, this isn’t the first time this has happened this year, it’s the third time.
The land owner shared with me their cost to dispose of the junk that was dumped on his property, even giving me a figure from when it started, about 10-years ago.
In 2014, they got rid of two old tube television sets that someone dumped for $40.00 each.
Current 2024 Fees:
Bags full of garbage and household junk: $25.00
Kitchen sink price range: $25.00-$50.00.
Old mattress: $50.00
They thought the box spring was also $50.00.
Couches and Love Seats cost him $$25.00 - $45.00
Olmsted Country Waste is about $150.00
The next time, only good cameras and vigilant people will catch the dumpers. It’s the duty of conservation officers, the sheriff’s department, and the state patrol to investigate and prevent harm to all persons, pets, and wildlife.
Is a training session on this topic worth considering? I’d donate a few dollars to save a few “bucks” to this cause. It’s their job to investigate these crimes. Not the public, not the landowners.
Dispose of your junk in Olmsted County with these links.
https://www.olmstedcounty.gov/residents/garbage-recycling/recycling-center-plus
https://www.olmstedcounty.gov/residents/garbage-recycling/hazardous-waste-facility#!rc-cpage=112153
Other Garbage:
Upcycle - Repurpose Ideas:
Old Sinks: https://www.pinterest.com/tickledpinktony/sinks-upcycle-reuse-recycle-repurpose-diy/
https://www.pinterest.com/karenstilley/repurpose-sink-for-outside-use/
Box Springs: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/easy-upcycled-garden-ideas-for-spring--158189005655026675/
Setting up accounts on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and Etsy is an option for them. According to these links, one person’s junk is another person’s treasure!
Here are some links:
https://www.etsy.com/search?q=old%20kitchen%20sink&ref=search_bar
https://rmn.craigslist.org/search/hsa?query=fan#search=1~list~0~3
Do you have an illegal dumping story that you want to share? Email me or use the Contact form.
Lisa@RochesterSunTimesNews.com