Oktibbeha County works to thwart illegal dumping
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – There has been a lot of construction going on across the area, and any construction job is going to have leftover material and debris.
However, in Oktibbeha County, not all of that debris is getting to where it’s supposed to go.
“Just take it to the landfill but piling it up on the side of the road is not right,” said Oktibbeha County Sherriff Shank Phelps.
The Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office has been receiving several phone calls over the last month about illegal dumping.
Many calls have been from road crews or concerned citizens who have discovered the dumpsites.
“Mainly construction workers or contractors discarding the remainder of the material from a particular worksite, and instead of taking it to a landfill or a site similar, they’ll just find a country road to get rid of the leftover waste,” said Sgt. Bryan Anderson, an Oktibbeha County investigator.
Anderson says they’ve found many construction materials like bricks and shingles at the sites.
The department uses the road crews’ cameras to help identify the suspects.
“We can get a tag on a particular vehicle and work backwards from there. Try to find out who’s driving and actually catch who’s responsible for it,” said Anderson.
If the weight of the discarded material is 500 pounds or more, the suspect can be charged with a felony.
If they are found guilty for any amount of damage, they will have to pay a fine for the cost of cleaning up the debris.
“We’re keeping up with the machine hours. We’re keeping up with the manpower. And they’re going to be responsible for paying,” said Phelps.
Phelps says the illegal dumping disturbs the community.
It can also be harmful to the environment.
“People out in the county, they don’t want their roads junked up. We want a clean road and part of my job is keeping the roads clean and safe, and that’s what I plan on doing,” said Phelps.
Two arrests have been made for illegal dumping in the last month.
The Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Office said there were 10 sites the road crew had to clean up in 2024.
Some cost up to $5,000.
They ask that you report if you see any suspicious activity on the roads.
