ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - St. Louis officials are warning illegal dumpers that they may be on candid camera. Two men caught on surveillance tape dumping hundreds of junk tires in a northside alley now face charges.
Attorney Rick Sykora with the City Counselor's office says illegal dumping comes with a "mandatory three-day jail sentence and up to $500 fine." But a judge can assign 40 hours of community service to pick up litter.
Police Trash Task Force Detective Rick Zurmuhlen says last year 144 illegal dumpers were caught and charged.
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"The only thing I can say to why they're dumping is because they don't want to pay for a commercial dumpster, maybe they're contractors," Zurmuhlen says. "As you can see, it's a city-wide problem. It's not just here."
We got a look at the site where those hundreds of tires were dumped:
The city has 200 surveillance cameras in alleys around town. Police say the illegal dumpers can be tire dealers, construction contractors and landlords.
Mayor Krewson was at the Tuesday press conference to highlight the problem of illegal dumping.
"It's not the biggest issue facing our city but it is one of the issues," Krewson says. "Because as you know, trash begets more trash."
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