Through strategic community partnerships and a strong working relationship with the Cincinnati Police Department, Department of Public Services, and the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office, we work to eradicate illegal dumping. This is achieved in two ways, illegal dumpsite monitoring and volunteer cleanup days.
Environmental
Services
Illegal Dumping
Illegal dumping is the disposal of large amounts of waste on a site, whether public or private, that is not designated as a waste collection site. This includes tires, furniture, bags of trash, landscaping debris, construction debris, etc. Illegal dumping is distinguished from littering by the amount. Littering is typically small items, such as wrappers or food containers. Illegal dumping causes blight, lowers property values, can attract insects and vermin, and can impact the health of local residents.
The financial burden on the city is not light, as it costs over $2 million dollars each year to clean up illegal dump sites throughout the city.
Illegal Dumping Abatement
Keep Cincinnati Beautiful works to end illegal dumping in Cincinnati. We partner with the City of Cincinnati’s Department of Public Services, the Cincinnati Police Department, and Hamilton County Environmental Sheriff to address illegal dumping. At any time we have around 60 trail cameras located at illegal dumping hotspots that we use to hold people who dump accountable. Check out where we are monitoring illegal dumping in the city.
To make areas less attractive to illegal dumping, we hold cleanups at different hot spots. With the help of volunteers we cleaned up 22 hot spots, picking up thousands of pounds of trash, furniture, and tires in 2023.
Dont Dump the nati
Don’t Dump the Nati was started in April of 2023 as a pilot program to see if we could lower the amount of illegal dumping by providing a place for people to drop off waste for free. During this time over 500 loads were dropped off, totaling over 50 tons of waste. We saw a 20% decrease in the amount of illegal dumping complaints during this time.
We are continuing the Don't Dump the Nati program in 2024! Starting on March 29th, and running to October 25th, we will again be providing a place to dispose of waste for free. The event will be located at 2121 State Ave, a fenced in lot situated between the Western Hills Viaduct and South Fairmount fire station. The event dates are March 29th, April 26th, May 24th, June 28th, July 26th, August 30th, September 27th, and November 1st. We will be there from 9am - 1pm. Hazardous waste such as oil, gasoline, batteries, and wet paint will not be accepted.
