LAKE ROESIGER, Wash. — Washington State Department of Transportation staff says they've seen a "disturbing" rise in illegal dumping at rest areas and other state lands over the past month during the coronavirus pandemic.
"Either because landfills are closed or they’re worried about dumping fees, people are leaving large amounts of trash and large items along roadsides and rest areas," wrote WSDOT in a recent blog post. "Compounding matters, many of our crews are working from home to slow the spread of the coronavirus. We’ve also suspended our Adopt A Highway volunteer program due to coronavirus concerns – so now is the worst possible time to see an uptick in illegal dumping."
When WSDOT posted about the increase on their Facebook page on Tuesday, it was met with comments condemning illegal dumping but also some backlash.
"What did the counties think was going to happen when they started closing the waste facilities?" wrote Facebook user Kim Adair.
Phillip J. Elliott also commented, "Well...duh, close the dumping stations and this is what you will see."
While garbage collection is an essential business under Governor Jay Inslee's stay at home order, some sites in Washington are either closed or have restricted hours or services to keep up with social distancing protocols.
In Lake Roesiger, the two closest transfer stations -- Dubuque Road and Granite Falls -- are closed.
Ryan Reed, manager of the Lake Roesiger Store, noticed a lot more trash left on local streets recently, and even on his store's property.
He decided to do something about it. He rented a dumpster and charged a small fee for neighbors to leave their trash.
"We love our community and we're going to keep this together," said Reed.
WSDOT declined to be interviewed on this topic but wrote that the department spends more than $4 million a year on cleaning up illegal dumping, and also partners with the Department of Ecology and Department of Corrections.
WSDOT is asking people to please refrain from illegal dumping and also warning that illegal dumping can come with consequences.
People caught illegally dumping can be prosecuted and littering can also carry a $1,000 fine.
"If you see trash or debris in the roadway that poses an immediate risk to the life and safety of our highway travelers, please call 911 so crews can respond and remove it before it causes a crash. And if you do need to travel, please secure your loads and contain all of the litter you generate," WSDOT said in the post.