An area at Salem Park has become the latest site favored by people who dump trash illegally in western Limestone County.

Mattresses and bags of garbage were among items illegally dumped outside the Waste Management trash bin located at the cul-de-sac of Salem Field Lane. The bin is rented by the West Limestone Baseball Summer Association for use at the fields.

“We’ve already cleaned it up two or three times,” said Steve Owens, secretary and treasurer of the association. “It was worse than this, scattered around, where the wind was blowing it.”

Owens said he discovered the trash Tuesday morning and called District 4 Commissioner Bill Daws.

According to Chris Sherrill, president of the association, there is not room for people who are not using the park to place items in the bin, especially during ball season. Dumping items outside a trash bin is illegal in any case.

Dumping at the park has gotten worse lately, Sherill said.

But criminal littering is not just a problem at Salem ballfield, it is happening in other areas of Limestone County, as well.

“Anything that is out on the ground is considered criminal litter,” said Revenue Enhancement Director Rodney Jackson.

Jackson said a letter is sent to the perpetrator, if one is identified. The person then has 15 days from the date of the notice to clean up the trash. If after15 days, they haven’t cleaned it up, an arrest is made and the person is charged with criminal littering, which is Class C misdemeanor.

Jackson said he gets approximately eight calls on illegal dumping per week. About half the time the Sheriff’s Office handles the litter cases and half the time Jackson takes care of them. He said he also sometimes helps the Sheriff’s Office out when needed.

To try to catch the culprit, trash is searched for something with a name on it.

“We do actually tear open bags of garbage and try to find identification and who might have put it there,” Jackson said. “Theoretically just because I find your bag of garbage somewhere doesn’t mean you put it there, I’ve got to try to prove you put it there. If I pull up and you’re unloading a mattress or unloading your own garbage, then you’ll be arrested then.”

Jackson also said that two dumpsites on New Cut Road were cleared Wednesday morning. Those particular sites, he said, contained construction materials. He said Limestone County does not have roadside service to pick up those materials.



How you can help

Litter Watch is a program enforced by the Athens Police Department and the organization Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful.

Lynne Hart, KALB’s executive coordinator, said she believes the program has been successful. She said that she likes to come out and see dumpsites, such as the one in West Limestone, and help catch the criminal.

“But my main goal is to give the community a place to call,” she said. She said KALB would take complaints and process them and send them to the proper authorities and help them solve the problem.

For more information about Litter Watch or to report a litter crime call 233-8728 or emailkalb@pclnet.net.

Hart said that the last Saturday in March is a day set aside for local residents to dump items at no charge at the transfer station.