Harrisburg residents want to know: Who’s dumping hazardous materials in their neighborhoods? - PennLive

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Harrisburg residents gathered this week to tour illegal dumping sites in their neighborhoods and put their heads together to figure out who’s doing it and how to stop them.

The tour was led by Rafiyqa Muhammad, a longtime city resident and member of the state’s Environmental Justice Advisory Board, which makes recommendations to the state Department of Environmental Protection. She invited residents to the event Wednesday afternoon in the area of Sixth and Maclay streets after hearing complaints about the illegal dumping sites that sometimes contain hazardous materials.

The kind of trash in these dumps isn’t mostly household trash; instead, the bulk appears to be commercial trash such as tires, toilets, construction debris and hazardous waste.

Muhammad and John Brakehall, regional coordinator for the state department’s office of environmental justice, established the event to hear from residents and coordinate resources that could help combat the longstanding problem.

An alley on 6th & Maclay street with hazardous materials that have been dumped by unknown sources.

Muhammad led a discussion after the tour where she shared some of the excuses she’s heard over the years when residents complain about illegal dumping, including blaming residents for the trash or launching “solutions” without first getting input from the people who live closest to the dumping sites.

“I’ve seen some stuff on Facebook talking about residents in this community do not want improvements in our city... that is a bold face lie,” said Muhammad. “We want improvements in our city, it is how it is done.”

Many residents want to help with solutions, but they must be involved in the process, Muhammad said. The residents know the most about the problem and must live with the trash scarring their neighborhoods so they should be consulted, she said.

Residents have tried to gather information and evidence on possible dumpers and Muhammad is partnering with several agencies and officials across the city. Across the street from Harrisburg Fair Housing building, the Camp Curtin YMCA has dealt with similar issues. But community members need more resources and a more concerted approach.

An alley on 6th & Maclay street with hazardous materials that have been dumped by unknown sources.

“Things were happening in community and we tried to investigate,” said Muhammad. “Nobody knew anything when Mr. Harvey at Camp Curtin YMCA was asking who is dumping next to my facility, the YMCA. Children activities, families, physical fitness, he has a garden, there is housing, and communities.”

Yet no one knows who is responsible for dumping this trash.

“There’s dumpsites everywhere and we need to know why,” said Muhammad. “Sixteenth and Walnut street is a dumpsite and I’ve looked at that for the longest wondering: Why is that there? Families, schools, communities, churches. ... nobody knows where it comes from. ... It has to come to an end.”

Muhammad has spoken to Dauphin County Commissioner George Hartwick to try to partner with county officials in an investigation and for possible solutions.

“There is going to be an investigation from different levels,” said Muhammad. “I know the county is going to do some investigation, reaching out to different entities because we need to know what is going on... that is all we are asking.”

The city hasn’t been able to identify the dumpers but in recent months has completed several large cleanups, including one that resulted in the removal of more than 28 tons of tightly packed trash. That single cleanup took two full days last month.

Mayor Eric Papenfuse said the number of employees in the public works department has doubled under his tenure and the city has purchased the necessary large equipment to do their own cleanups. He also named a new public works director who Papenfuse said wants to do even more large-scale cleanups.

“We have great new leadership in public works with Nate Spriggs,” said Papenfuse, who soon will turn over the mayor’s chair to incoming mayor-elect Wanda Williams. “The next administration is well positioned to do more as long as Mayor Wanda Williams keeps Nate and adequately funds his budget requests.”

An alley on 6th & Maclay street with hazardous materials that have been dumped by unknown sources.

David Patton, codes administrator for the city, told PennLive that the number of complaints has slightly declined in prior years and then leveled off. He believes that’s because of increased development in various neighborhoods and the city’s efforts. But there is still much more work to be done, as was evidenced by the giant dumping grounds shown on the tour.

“The challenge in prosecuting illegal dumping is having direct evidence,” Patton said. “If someone sees and reports illegal dumping, they would have to testify to that fact in court as a defendant has the right to confront their accuser. This of course is difficult, given the understandable fear of reprisal by a perpetrator.”

Sometimes there is independent evidence that can be used against illegal dumpers, such as mail or personal items left in the debris. But defendants could just say they didn’t know who “stole” their trash and dumped it, which could get a case thrown out.

According to Patton, the city codes department has placed cameras at some chronic dumping areas in the city in cooperation with public works. These cameras could help to provide solid evidence against perpetrators that would stand up in court.

For residents, that means they could still file trash complaints without having to testify, so Patton urged anyone with information on illegal dumpers to share it with the city by calling 311 or emailing the codes department at codes@harrisburgpa.gov.

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