Dumpers on Camera

[dclark3344]

I have a carwash next to a university and this time of the year we get a lot of kids getting rid of their junk as they go back home. Thurday afternoon I found my just dumped dumpster now had a full size couch sticking out of it and full of U-Haul boxes with junk stacked arround it. After digging thru the boxes I found a vehicle insurance card and some medication. I looked on the cameras and saw the supersize U-Haul accompanied by a blue Toyota Camary. I called the insurance carrier, Friday morning, and told him that his insured was going to be fined for dumping and it was in their best interest to call me before I called the police. Well Friday evening at 4PM I called the police and made a report to file charges. At 4:45 a paniced lady calls me and tells me they are responsible and that they would be there in 2 hours to clean it up. Her son called me 2 1/2 hours later appologized and said they had come down and loaded everything up, and begged me not to press charges. When they found out they were on video and I had idenification on them it really gave them a WAKE UP call.:

 

[MEP001]

Weird, I had a big U-Haul accompanied by a blue Camry pull up to our dumpster about three weeks ago. They both got out and one of them jerked on the lock bar, then they stood there wondering what to do. I asked if I could help them, and one said "We're just looking for a big dumpster." When I told them it's illegal to use someone's trash receptacle without permission, they both gave me blank looks. I got pics of both vehicles' plates, the Camry having a frame that indicated one of them was studying law.

 

[Red Baron]

My theory is that people make up stupid lies that even they don't believe, when embarassed/caught. I can't count the times that I caught someone dumping in my dumpster, only to have them argue "This is a public dumpster and anyone can use it." I usually just offer to have the local police come and explain Theft of Services to them.

 

[bigleo48]

Had a local Police student dump at my wash. When I called and asked how "Stealing Services" would look to the Chief when I emailed him the video, he quickly drove over, picked everything up and thanked me. We have one of our 30 video cameras pointed to the dumpster.

Big Leo

 

[Chiefs]

Locking your dumpster makes a huge difference. Since we did that over a year ago, illegal dumping has ceased.

 

[bigleo48]

Locking your dumpster makes a huge difference. Since we did that over a year ago, illegal dumping has ceased.

A lock can help, but if your dumspter is in an enclosure (we are forced to have one as per city regulations), they just dump it next to the dumpster

Big Leo

 

[MEP001]

A lock can help, but if your dumspter is in an enclosure (we are forced to have one as per city regulations), they just dump it next to the dumpster

They'll do that once in a blue moon, but with the dumpster left unlocked it's once or twice a month that someone will come by and fill it. In five years we've only had one instance of stuff piled next to the locked dumpster, which was a bunch of old steel garage doors.

Seems like every time I forget to lock the dumpster, the next day there's a bunch of household trash bags in it.

 

[Red Baron]

Be honest now, don't you feel like Inspector Gadget out there in the dumpster digging thru trash for clues as to the identity of the perp? I do.

 

[Eric H]

Red, You feel like Inspector Gadget because of that fake leg!

Me...I'm more like Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther