Area students invited to help raise awareness about illegal dumping

Ruth Anne Parrott of Pioneer Trails Regional Planning Commission speaks to a group of fifth-graders at Bueker Middle School in Miss Kelly's art class about creating posters convincing people not to illegally dump their waste. (Geoff Rands/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge]

People don't usually like to have a landfill near their home, and nobody likes to see an un-zoned landfill spring up nearby over the course of a few months.

In preparation for the fifth annual Pioneer Trails Regional Planning Committee's poster contest aimed at stopping illegal dumping, Ruth Anne Parrott visited yesterday with two classes of fifth-graders at Bueker Middle School.

"I need you to convince me and other people not to do illegal dumping" through illustrations, some of which will be featured in the coming year's "5th Grade Illegal Dumping Poster Contest" calendar, Parrott said.

"Maybe I put in new carpet, and I think to myself, 'I can't have this [old carpet] around my house, I can't keep this in my garage,'" said Parrott. "Maybe I put it in my car and think, 'I've seen some people doing some dumping on this gravel road over here.'"

"People usually do it in an isolated area so they don't get caught," she continued. "The next thing you know, you're going to have an illegal dump site. You can get prosecuted, a big fine, and jail time."

Passing out a photo of an illegal dump site, Parrott asked students what they saw. Cries came of "plastic bags," "a hot water heater," and "a refrigerator."

"Plastic takes over a million years to decompose. And we don't even know what's in those plastic bags, do we?" Parrott asked the students. "It could be dirty diapers," a suggestion which received a unanimous "Eww!" from students. She also said that it could be sharp needles, or even byproducts from manufacture of methamphetamines. "People aren't going to take that to a dump, are they?"

She asked students to look at the terrain in the photo. "Does that look like it's maybe near a creek? Well, if it rains, like it has been recently, that water's not going to just stay there, is it? No, it's going to run downhill and into that creek. And the water isn't going to just stay in the creek, is it? No, it can end up in places like lakes, places people like to fish and swim," a comment which elicited another groan of disgust from many students. "We can contaminate our cattle's drinking water," she continued, getting more of the same noises in response.

"It's expensive to clean up a dump site. For one thing, you need heavy equipment," said Parrott.

The burden of payment for cleanup of an illegal dump falls on taxpayers if the perpetrators cannot be identified.

"If you see someone doing some illegal dumping, don't say 'Why are you doing that?' Get your mom and dad. If you can, get the make and model of their car. And the license plate, too, if you can."

Marshall has several options for disposal of waste unfit for landfills. The City of Marshall will take both waste oil and yard waste, A&R Computer will dispose of electronic waste, and the Saline County Commission will take household hazardous waste, which is defined by the EPA as "leftover household products that contain corrosive, toxic, ignitable, or reactive ingredients."

There will be four winners from Bueker Middle School and one from each of the other schools involved. The 13 winning entries will be displayed at the Saline County Courthouse from the end of October through mid-November, a period of about three weeks. There, the public will vote on entries until Nov. 14. The most voted-for entry will be featured on the cover of next year's calendar, as well as a nearby highway billboard.

Calendars will be given free of charge to schools and "interested individuals" as well as businesses that donate $25.

The contest is open to all fifth grade students in Saline County.

Contact Geoff Rands at marshallreporter@socket.net