The city is using surveillance cameras to crack down on illegal dumping.
Some cameras are being tested out right now with more coming in the next few months, in an effort to catch those who dump unwanted items in alleyways and public spaces.
Speaking on AM800's Lynn Martin Show, City Manager of Environmental Services Anne Marie Albidone says city council has set aside $50,000 for the program. The funds will ensure the city will have the proper equipment that’s needed to do the job.
"We need to make sure we have cameras that are going to work well at night, that are going to be able to identify licence plates, make and model of a vehicle, and just general characteristics."
Albidone says the cameras themselves are mobile.
"To start they'll be in areas that are, you know, known to us for illegal dumping," she explains "Then certainly as we get calls to our 3-1-1 about illegal dumping, that will obviously give us indications as to where else we can be moving them."
The cameras are there to gather the necessary information to catch the dumping, but she says prosecution is not necessarily the main goal.
"The main focus of it is to deter the activity, and to not spend a lot of time in court. You know those processes can take a long time," says Albidone. "But we do want that to be an option if it’s what we feel is appropriate given the circumstance."
Albidone says this is a problem all municipalities face, and even with all the garbage pickup options available to people, she thinks this will continue to be a struggle.