Law targets illegal dumping

Green Diamond Resource Co. forest lands in Mason and Grays Harbor counties see 20 to 30 tons of garbage dumped illegally each year, and that amount keeps rising, Policy and Communications Manager Jason Callahan told the Journal.

Cleanup costs for the company have also increased fivefold in the past few years, he said.

Disposing of just one RV can cost $1,300, “and we get a number of those every year,” Callahan said.

Green Diamond has cleaned up all types of garbage dumped on their property, including household garbage, old boats, cars, appliances, burned vehicles and tire piles, according to Callahan. The company can’t just haul away the items.

“We have to do appropriate mitigation,” Callahan said.

People dump pesticides and other hazardous waste in Green Diamond’s woods because they don’t know what to do with them, he said.

“That’s a shame,” Callahan said, because Mason County offers free household hazardous waste disposal for items including pesticides, automotive products, fluorescent tubes, antifreeze and other items at the Eells Hill Transfer Station.

It’s free for individuals, but businesses have to pay.

“Landowners face significant cleanup costs, especially for hazardous waste, and the current system creates incentives for illegal dumping,” Rep. Bill Ramos, D-Issaquah, said in a news release about HB 2207, effective in June, that changes penalties for illegal dumping from criminal to civil, in hopes of deterring the practice.

Travis Couture, R-Allyn, cosponsored the bill.

“I’m proud to have co-sponsored HB 2207, giving landowners and law enforcement new tools to combat illegal dumping in our forests. The law introduces severe penalties, both civil and criminal, that can be up to four times more costly for violators. Protecting our forests from illegal dumping is vital to the 35th District’s economy and way of life, supporting habitats, the environment, and rural jobs. Respect the forest and property rights, or face serious consequences,” Couture told the Journal in an email.

The penalties for illegal dumping are now changed to fines, similar to a parking ticket.

Criminal prosecution was rare because it was hard to identify the illegal dumper and prosecutors are already overburdened with violent crimes, the bill’s sponsors say.

The new bill imposes fines on those caught illegally dumping up to $250 for less than 500 pounds, up to $750 for more than 500 pounds and up to $1,000 for more than 1,000 pounds. It also fines people four times the cost of cleanup if caught dumping more than 50 pounds.

Part of the money collected goes to the law enforcement agency investigating, as compensation for their time.

“We’re hoping it makes it a little easier to enforce,” Callahan said.