The Bass Lake community members are concerned about the increasing amount of illegal items being left at the Bass Lake Property Owners Association (BLPOA) recycling site.
Rick Anderson told the Starke County Commissioners Monday night that residents are leaving TVs and other items not deemed as recyclable material inside and outside of the bins available there. Anderson said the bins fill up quickly and when they are full, people just leave their items outside of the bin.
There is an ordinance in place that County Attorney Marty Lucas says can be pursued if perpetrators are caught.
“Any kind of dumping of anything really improperly in a public area like a road, a ditch or a recycling site is a violation of this,” said Lucas. “Any person found in violation under Section 8 can be liable for attorney’s fees and costs incurred by the county. Also, if they don’t comply with an order they can be fined between $1.00 and $2,500 per violation each day.”
Starke County Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff said his department can enforce state statutes that are similar to the ordinances approved by county officials. It would be up to the county officials to pursue it as an ordinance violation or a criminal charge.
Starke County Environmental Management Director Carrie Trent-Kuchel said the hardest part is identifying the people who are committing the violation. There are cameras at the location but often times the images aren’t clear enough to see who is there or get a clear license plate number. One resident spoke up who said she has a list of names and she was told to submit that to the proper officials for possible action.
Trent-Kuchel said she is working with the company who provides the bin there to empty them as often as possible.
Starke County Sheriff Bill Dulin said he will inform his officers to stop by there every once in a while to check the area for possible illegal dumping activity.
