If not addressed, illegal dumping could mean big trouble for the Grenada County Landfill.
Chris Whitten, Grenada County Landfill manager, joined the Grenada County Board of Supervisors during a recent board meeting to address concerns regarding the issues happening at the landfill.
“We’ve got a problem with illegal dumping and I wanted to bring this before everyone,” Whitten said. “I am open to suggestions to hear what your ideas are on it to stop this, but we have a serious problem with people throwing stuff away that they are not supposed to at the landfill and I can’t seem to stop it.”
“What kind of stuff are they throwing out out there,” BOS President Michael Lott asked.
“They are throwing out bottles, cans, household garbage,” Whitten said. “I spent four hours last week going through a load by myself and dug through everything from dirty baby diapers to rotten food with maggots crawling on it.”
According to Whitten, Grenada County residents and non-residents have been dumping items that do not belong in the rubbish landfill area for weeks. Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), which is responsible for protecting the state’s air, land and water, could fine the landfill and the county with large fines if caught.
“We cannot take household trash at the landfill,” Whitten explained. “Yes, we do have a place to dispose of it, but it cannot go in the landfill area. It’s not just businesses, its residential customers too. They do not understand how we do this, but they need to realize it all cannot go in the same spot.”
“There is no excuse for this,” District 5 Supervisor Chad Gray interjected. “There are signs and it is even printed in the office where they can see.”
Several visible signs are posted at the Grenada County Landfill. | Photo by Mandy Ayers
According to the signs printed at the landfill, containers of any kind cannot be dumped into the landfill including, but not limited to, water bottles, soda cans, drink cups, food wrappers, food containers, five-gallon buckets, oil containers, aerosol cans, chemical containers, insect sprays, cleaners and caulking tubes. These items, however, can be put in a dumpster that is located on the landfill site. Tires cannot be tossed in the landfill either; they are to be placed into the tire trailer also on site.
No electrical devices of any kind that still have the motor on them can be dumped in the landfill. These items include, but are not limited to microwaves, computers, batteries, battery chargers, electric tools, fans, etc. They will accept some items to be dumped in special cans on site, but cannot accept all.
TVs, air conditioners, refrigerators and deep freezers are no longer accepted anywhere on site.
“In order to enforce these rules, we are going to have to start fining individuals for not following the rules,” Whitten suggested, “That’s the only way we can get this done the right way so that MDEQ doesn’t get us. Construction Waste Management continues to dump and I’ve fined them over $1,000 and it doesn’t seem to be bothering them at all.”
“Just turn them around at the gate,” Gray said. “If they can’t do right, we don’t want their business because it’s going to end up with the MDEQ guy coming by and we are going to be in serious trouble.”
Whitten is available for any questions you may have about the rules and regulations for the landfill. You can contact him at (662) 226-3284.
