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Thursday, June 5, 2014

Plainfield police make war on illegal dumping


Needi I say more?

The day after
Plainfield's Primary Election was one for catching up on errands and chores that had been put off in the crush of campaigning. This turned out to be more of an adventure than I had thought.

After picking up some shirts from the launderers, I grabbed a quick lunch at the Burger King on Park Avenue, including a large diet Coke. Ate the sandwich and disposed of the bag and wrapper (in a trash barrel) at Cedarbrook Park. I then went to my gas station at East 2nd and Church (shout out to Hari and Binder!) and filled up. Then on to Bank of America.

Nearly done with my soda, I looked for some place to dispose of the cup and pulled into the little strip mall (famous for the Ben Franklin Liquor Store) next to The Monarch/Senior Center. The four unsightly dumpsters that used to be out in the front of the parking lot were moved to the back corner after complaints from condo owners at The Monarch.

I pulled back to the area of the dumpsters and finished my soda, but noticed that they appeared to be chained shut. Figuring I would dispose of the cup elsewhere later, I left. Just as I approached the County Office Building on West 2nd Street, I was pulled over by an unmarked police car.

Hmmm. I wasn't speeding. The officer, well-known as one of Sharon's favorites, was crisply polite. Driver's license. Registration and insurance. He goes back to his car. Pretty soon another officer arrives. He walks up to the side window and says, 'Oh, I recognize you, you used to work for the city.' He returns to his car and shortly leaves.

After a few minutes the officer returns with my documents and tells me the stop was because residents of The Monarch have been complaining about illegal dumping in the area of the dumpsters. Since I had never gotten out of the car, I was left to assume he had read my mind and knew I was thinking of putting the soda cup in the dumpster. A little creepy.

If you've been following the city website's press releases, you know that Plainfield's violent crime has dropped DRAMATICALLY since Mayor Mapp took office in January (see the press release dated May 22 on the media page here).

Hopefully this means more time can be spent on annoying issues like illegal dumping.

After illegal dumping  near The Monarch is under control, perhaps we can get after the dumpsters behind The Horizons at Plainfield and behind the stores on East Front Street.

And then there's Cottage Place, site of the agency's promotional anti-dumping video, but where illegal dumping continues apace despite the PMUA's camera surveillance of the area.


  -- Dan Damon [follow]


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4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't you have diabetes and have had consequences because of it? Eating at Burger King and getting a large soda is a really stupid thing for you to be doing. And don't give me that "but it's a diet drink" crap. You need to reconsider all this.

Anonymous said...

There is a family who lives in the light blue house on the 300 block of Emerson Avenue who consistently dump their garbage in the Emerson School dumpster. Have been doing it for years, yet no one says anything.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like that guy that shouldn't be a lieutenant you must have been in his hiding spot

Anonymous said...

He couldn't write you even if you did dump. The owner of the dumpster or the person renting the dumpster could sign a complaint. Besides that would mean he would have to do work and we all know he doesn't do that