CINCINNATI — Imagine living next to a pile of mattresses, old tires and broken appliances. Residents know it's a terrible look, but people are dumping things in their neighborhoods through no fault of their own.
The City of Cincinnati spends $3-4 million every year to combat illegal dumping and littering. City leaders say they need more help, partnering with Hamilton County to try and hold people accountable.
"It's really a disaster to me for real," said DeMarco Tappler of Fairmount. "I'm not sure where that came from."
Tappler pointed to two broken-down trucks filled with garbage near his house. There are also bags of trash, old tires and a broken treadmill.
"Just random people coming, dumping like this stuff down the street," neighbor Peter Isfort said. "That one was there two weeks ago, three weeks ago."
Isfort noted a pile of garbage someone dumped at the end of his street that backs into the woods.
Both men say the piles of garbage add up, even though there are various signs throughout the neighborhood that specifically note the fines associated with illegal dumping.
"It's been like this since day one, like it's never changed," Tappler said. "I don't even really know how to feel. This is where I lay my head, but it's really nothing you can do when it keeps going on and on and on."
Isfort told WCPO 9 News he's disabled and is dealing with health problems. He said he's the one who keeps getting fined when other people are dumping on his property.
"About $9700 in fines for illegally dumping," Isfort said. "I don't know what to do about it, something needs to be done, but I'm sick of getting fined."
For the city, Hamilton County and Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, one solution includes catching people in the act. There are about 65 cameras set up throughout Cincinnati in areas that are common spots for illegal dumping.
"And it's really the neighborhoods that just don't have the resources and/or the people available to kind of deal with this stuff, and those are the neighborhoods that are really hit the hardest," said James Johnson, environmental services coordinator for Keep Cincinnati Beautiful.
Johnson said the cameras have a 75-80% catch rate.
"These people are going back over and over again to the same locations ... but we've got to respond and then try to catch these folks in the act so we've got a good case against them," Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus said.
Commissioners started addressing illegal dumping after receiving several complaints from townships. However, in 2024, 89% of their cases are in Cincinnati.
WCPO asked Driehaus what homeowners and property owners can do if they are the ones who keep getting fined for illegal dumping, even though they aren't the ones responsible.
"Try to monitor that individually but also I relied on law enforcement to be my partner in that to say 'I've got something here I think I know what's going on — a witness that I've got, something on camera.' So work in partnership with law enforcement because they can't be everywhere," Driehaus said.
If residents don't have the means to monitor or purchase surveillance cameras, Driehaus said officials can set up cameras in that area.
Having cameras where they live is something Tappler and Isfort feel can be a solution to help stop this behavior.
"I want to be able to come outside and have a picnic on the sidewalk with the kids, and I can't, why, because it's filthy," Tappler said.
If you want to file an illegal dumping complaint, call 311 or 513-946-7788. You can also file a complaint at reportdumping.org.
