HARRISBURG, Pa. — Harrisburg neighbors are fed-up with illegal dumping sites scattered across their neighborhood.
"It was a continuous thing, dumping, dumping, then they removed it then they dumped again," said Joyce Gamble, a community advocate.
Gamble said she and other residents noticed the dumping back in October and swiftly took action. They contacted and hosted a tour with the city and the Department of Environmental Protection to survey various sites.
Neighbors say they witnessed dumping on Bailey Street, near the intersection of 15th and Walnut, and on Forest Street. They believe the unwanted trash is coming from residents and new construction projects.
"It’s too much cutting corners when people come from other parts of Pennsylvania and they throw these developments half-wittedly and before you know it, we have a dump or we have a building collapse," said Gamble.
In a statement the Department of Environmental Protection said:
"DEP was made aware of the issue through several complaints. DEP inspected the site in question on November 30 and did not find any violations. DEP will continue to investigate complaints of illegal dumping on a case-by-case basis. Any violations of Pennsylvania State law will be dealt with. DEP encourages concerned residents to engage the county and city governments to determine whether local codes and ordinances could be exercised to address their concerns." - John Repetz, Department of Environmental Protection.
Although Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse vowed to continue cleanup efforts, Gamble and other residents are taking matters into their hands by hosting a meeting with the Dauphin County Solid Waste Management.
"I don’t know if there’s going to be a citation or a reprimand. But we as a community are going to stand firm in regards for moving forward, for the redevelopment of Harrisburg and the cleanup of Harrisburg," Gamble added.
The meeting will be held at the Camp Curtin YMCA ( 2135 North 6th Street Harrisburg, PA 17110) from 5:30 to 7:30 P.M.