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LEXINGTON — Discarded packaging, flattened juice boxes and crumpled junk mail carpeted the narrow pathways between the firetruck red bins.
It’s a familiar site at Lexington’s residential recycling site, located off Mill Street behind the B&O Bike Trail.
Photos of overflowing bins and illegal dumping regularly make the rounds in unofficial village Facebook groups. But what’s actually being done to address the issue?
Eddie Hale, executive director of the Richland County Solid Waste Authority (SWA), is well aware of the problem.
The SWA attempted to remedy the situation by encouraging residents to fill the bins during the middle of the week.
The Lexington bins are currently emptied every Monday and Thursday. Hale said the district has talked about changing the schedule, but it ultimately won’t help if the majority of residents continue filling the bins over the weekend.
The department even posted signs on the bins asking residents to drop off their recyclables on Wednesdays.
“We have had a lot of issues with Lexington and the reason is because everybody brings their recycling down on the weekends,” he said. “A lot of times when they’re emptied on Thursday, there’s empty bins.”
Since asking residents to adjust their recycling schedules has had a minimal effect, the SWA hired an environmental officer in June to enforce litter and illegal dumping regulations across the county.
The full-time deputy of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department will work under Hale’s authority, with the sole responsibility of investigating litter dumps, unlicensed trash dumps, uncovered trash loads and similar issues across the county.
That officer has already begun enforcement, writing up citations and issuing $500 fines for anyone who leaves refuse — recyclable or not — on the ground outside of the bins.
According to Hale, the deputy has set up hidden cameras in Lexington and other recycling bin locations throughout the county.
He confirmed the department installed cameras near the Lexington bins in the summer of 2020, but wasn’t able to secure wireless service for them at the time. He also said the deputy has tested cameras near the bins now and confirmed they can get a signal.
In Bellville, Mayor Teri Brenkus said levying fines has been an effective way to cut down on similar issues.
The bins just outside of Bellville are operated through the collaboration between the village and Jefferson Township, which owns the land, along with the county’s SWA.
Brenkus said illegal dumping and overflow were prominent issues at the bins. Trash was blowing out of the overloaded containers into the river and nearby backyards. People were dropping off unauthorized items like paint cans, bed frames and televisions.
“When we first started tackling this, there were things piled around everywhere,” Brenkus recalled.
Brenkus utilized social media to urge residents to abide by the rules, stressing there would be consequences for anyone who abused the privilege.
“It works out really well most of the time, until we have someone that puts something there that shouldn’t be there,” she said.
Brenkus said things have improved since the Bellville Police Department started issuing illegal dumping tickets, with fines of about $100. Brenkus said most tips come from other residents.
“Residents are watching, they don’t want these services taken away,” she said. “A lot of people use it very well, it just takes a few people to abuse it though.
“It’s such a blessing to not throw away all that stuff that can be recycled and save those resources.”
While the issue of cleanliness at the bins has improved, Brenkus said there are still occasional problems. The village regularly sends staff to the bins upon receiving reports of broken glass on the concrete.
“Anytime anyone volunteers to pick up trash, that’s the first location I send them to,” she said.
Depending on the effectiveness of the enforcement approach, Hale said the SWA may end up adding more bins at the Lexington location or even a second site on the north side of town.
