Fort Lewis
Trash Cops
Illegal dumping has been a long-standing problem at Fort Lewis that has been difficult to deal with from a compliance and enforcement perspective. An illegal dump site investigator, also known as a Trash Cop, was hired in April 2005 to investigate dump sites and identify responsible parties. Thus far, over 1,300 investigations have been conducted and more than 100 of them have led to cleanup actions at no expense to the government. By going through the trash left at the site, the Trash Cop is able to discover who is responsible for the dumping. For example, in one instance the Trash Cop discovered a large amount of trash and four gallons of oil in a Training Area. Due to a Christmas gift tag left in the trash, the perpetrator was caught, sent a bill for the $1,000 Oil & Hazardous Materials cleanup fee, and made responsible to clean up the rest of the trash in the area. In another occurrence, four vehicles were recovered by crane after they had been pushed off a cliff next to the Nisqually River. Further investigation revealed that two of the vehicles were stolen and the owners of the other two vehicles were discovered to be responsible for the illegal dumping. Of the $12,000 cost of recovering the vehicles, half was paid by the insurance company and the other half was paid by the responsible parties.
- Mission Cleaning up the illegal dumping sites has significantly improved the safety and health of Soldiers in the training areas, as well as quality of the training areas. The installation received positive media coverage as an added benefit, and the annual waste clean-up costs have also been reduced.
- Community Members of the installation are now more aware of the seriousness of illegal dumping and the community has become involved in finding solutions. There has been a promotion of alternative solutions for waste already provided on-post such as recycling and donations to thrift shops.
- Environment Proper disposal of solid waste is being encouraged.
Estimated direct cost avoidance from this program is between $76-100K per year. Illegal dumping comprises 5-15% of the waste stream and costs the installation between $120,000 and $360,000 per year. Semi-annual clean-up cost of illegal dumping in the down-range training areas (Spring and Fall Pride Week clean-up) easily exceeds $500,000 annually. This cost does not include the Soldier labor (6,000 Soldiers X 40 hour work week).
Fort Lewis Public Works Waste Management Program: 253-966-1732