Illegal dumping is a massive problem in Detroit. Just drive around for several minutes and you’re likely to see household and industrial trash illegally dumped on street corners and along service roads.
A group in the northwest Detroit neighborhood of Brightmoor hopes to curtail illegal dumping by publicly shaming companies and individuals caught dumping.
“Meet the Dumpers” is a new website that posts photos on their “Wall of Shame” of vans caught dumping in Brightmoor.
According to their website, their mission is to:
Help neighbors publicize the dumpers in their Detroit neighborhoods to deter those companies and others from using our neighborhood as an unofficial city dump. Our citizen journalists follow up on tips from residents and we publish information that empowers residents to end dumping in their neighborhoods.
They also have a “Submit a Tip” page where people can record a location of illegal dumping, the time it occurred, and a photo of the scene.
Brightmoor – a neighborhood with a large number of vacant and deteriorating homes – has a particular problem with dumping.
Despite efforts of a number of nonprofits in the area, and regular community clean-ups, there is an excess of illegal dumping.
-Julia Field, Michigan Radio Newsroom
