CAMDEN, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Huge piles of construction debris, lumber, trash bags, old furniture and other waste sit along Byron Street — the latest drop in the bucket from a constant flow of trash all over Camden.
Illegal dumping has been a major problem in the city for a long time. Officials believe a new $500,000 federal grant to install dozens of cameras will help hold dumpers accountable.
“It’s been horrible, what we’ve been dealing with,” said Camden Mayor Vic Carstarphen. “It’s very demoralizing. This is our community.”
Carstarphen said the city spends roughly $4.7 million each year — money that could be put toward other resources — to clean up messes in the same places over and over again.
“It’s unhealthy,” he said. “It creates blight. It’s just uncivilized to do this.”
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Soon enough, eyes in the sky will be watching. More than 100 security cameras will be strategically placed in common dumping areas to catch perpetrators in the act. There are about 50 active dumping sites in Camden, according to the county.
“These are really, really good cameras that can read license plates and have infrared to see in the dark,” Carstarphen said.
County Commissioner Jon Young said the contractors who are illegally dumping must be found and held accountable. There’s no excuse to toss trash in someone’s neighborhood, he said.
“Be a legitimate contractor and buy a dumpster — do the right thing here, and we can stop this,” he added.
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Young also encourages the public to take pictures of trucks dumping items and get a shot of their license plates.
Carstarphen intends to increase the penalties for people caught piling on to this problem, and he also wants police to start pulling over trucks that are carrying around large amounts of junk to see where they are heading.