Let’s Talk Trash: Illegal Dumping
Published on March 26, 2025
By Savannah Bunch, Environmental Specialist 1
Illegal dumping is a messy issue that costs our City money, contaminates recycling, and creates hazards for everyone. However, not all illegal dumping comes from bad intentions—sometimes it’s simply a well-meaning but misinformed attempt to dispose of unwanted items.
The Cost of Carelessness
When people dump furniture, construction debris, or household trash at our recycling drop-off sites, the city has to clean it up. That means extra staff time, extra resources, and extra money spent on something that shouldn’t be happening in the first place. The EPA estimates that illegal dumping cleanup costs local governments across the U.S. millions of dollars annually.
Good Intentions, Bad Execution
Not all illegal dumping is intentional, and that’s part of the problem. Sometimes people genuinely think they’re doing the right thing. But if an item isn’t accepted at a drop-off site, leaving it there is still illegal dumping.
Think you’re helping by dropping off an old chair at a textile recycling bin? Think again. Our textile recycling programs accept clothing and fabric but not furniture, lamps, or other household items. Similarly, placing motor oil next to the cooking oil recycling container doesn’t mean it will be handled properly. These mix-ups cause contamination, create extra work for city staff. Just because something seems recyclable doesn’t mean it belongs at a drop-off site.
Hazardous Waste: A Risk We Can’t Afford
Leaving hazardous chemicals like paint, motor oil, or pesticides at drop-off sites is dangerous. These materials can leak into the environment, harming wildlife and contaminating water sources. They also pose a risk to sanitation workers who have to clean up the mess. If you wouldn’t want it leaking in your backyard, it doesn’t belong in a public drop-off site.
Pinellas County handles all hazardous waste disposal, and residents can take items to designated collection sites for safe disposal. This ensures these materials don’t end up causing harm to our community or our environment.
Do Your Part
Illegal dumping is a community problem, but it also has a community solution. If you see illegal dumping happening, report it. If you have items that need to be disposed of, use the proper channels. And most importantly, spread the word—because the more people understand the impact of illegal dumping, the less likely they are to do it.
Let’s keep Dunedin Delightful by keeping our recycling sites (and the rest of our city) free of illegal dumping.
For more information on proper disposal and recycling, check out our Solid Waste and Recycling resources. You can also use the Pinellas County "Where Does It Go" Tool to find the correct disposal method for different materials.
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