Harrison County residents fed up over illegal dumping

A pile of trash has turned into a huge eyesore for people who live and travel along Jim Lee Road in Harrison County. Beautification officials agree illegal dumping is a problem, one that trustee inmates once helped clean up.
It’s a common site along railroad tracks, discarded food wrappers, bottles, even clothing, but junk is really piling up on this roadside and one local resident is fed up.“It just makes me mad that somebody would go that low to do that.”
Dozens of tires, old mattresses, remnants of an old TV and what used to be a fish aquarium, even an old dishwasher with dishes still inside are stacked high on the corner of Jim Lee Road and Old Highway 49 in Harrison County.
Harrison County resident David Easton has his own theory about why these tires might have ended up here. “They want the rims off of them. That is why they’re cut. There’s somebody who is saving tires or stealing tires off of cars. I’d just start checking old junk yards and see if anybody’s come in since Monday with a bunch of rims.”
While residents say this is an isolated incident, some say littering in the area is a seasonal problem. Harrison County resident Teresa Bardwell said, “There’s quite a bit of dumping on this road and it becomes a real eyesore, especially during hunting season. Campers leave their debris, beer bottles, and then it just stays. It’s been here for months and months. I hope something’s going to be done about it.”
According to DEQ, cleanup of illegal dumping costs local and state governments millions of dollars each year, not to mention the health and environmental hazards that stem from this type of pollution. Beautification officials say county prison workers used to lend a hand and help expedite such clean-ups, but recent cuts to the trustee work program leave a mountain of work to do and not enough workers, especially when people would rather cut costs illegally and dump their problems on someone else. “It just makes me mad to see a TV or mattress sitting alongside the road. That somebody is too lazy to take it, but they’ll drag it out there and leave it,” said Easton.
To provide residents with a safe and sanitary alternative to improper disposal, the Rockco-McFarland Household Hazardous Waste Site is available. It’s open the second Saturday of every month from 8 a.m. until noon at 10076 Lorraine Road next to the sheriff’s department. They accept items like used cooking or automobile oil, applicances, and even used tires. Visit KeepHarrisonCountyBeautiful.com for more information.