BALTIMORE — A Baltimore County woman received a $500 citation for illegal dumping in Baltimore City, but she says she didn't do it and rarely leaves her home.
Teeena Macklin, who lives in Rosedale, was shocked when she received an environmental citation in the mail for allegedly dumping trash 12 miles away in South Baltimore.
Matter for Mallory: Women fined $500 for illegal dumping, but denies being anywhere near the dumpsite.
"And I was like, oh my God, what is this? Because I don't go anywhere so I was really shocked about receiving a letter in the mail," Macklin said.
Her name was found on a piece of mail alongside other items dumped on the side of the road in Cherry Hill.
"Cherry Hill? I don't even go to Cherry Hill. That's a long way to take some trash," Macklin said.
Macklin requested a hearing with the Environmental Control Board and spoke with a community liaison. Her citation was ultimately abated, not because it was unfounded, but because she agreed to go through a diversion program.
According to the Board's Executive Director, Brittany Vendryes, diversion is limited to violation types that are specific to basic property maintenance violations and minor trash violations. And the program is only available to individuals and not businesses, property management companies, developers, etc. Repeat offenders and/or egregious violations are not eligible for diversion.
"Make sure you have the right person, because you can have an innocent person like me. Five hundred dollars? That's a lot of money," Macklin said.
How investigators identify illegal dumpers
To understand how investigators identify those responsible for illegal dumping, WMAR-2 News Mallory Sofastaii went on service calls with the Baltimore City Department of Housing and Community Development.
"First step when you come to a dumping site, you always give it a kick — scare the rats away. It happens. This is Baltimore," explained David McGinnis, the Director of the Special Investigations Unit.
McGinnis and his team dig through trash piles looking for clues that can connect the waste to culprits.
"Sometimes, we get lucky and find like a receipt in a CVS bag or something," McGinnis said.
During one investigation, McGinnis found mail from West Virginia. "Bridgeport, West Virginia. Chances are she moved here," he noted. "Maybe she moved and ended up being roommates with this person. They both moved out. Somebody got rid of the trash."
He explained investigators' process and how they determine who to issue the citation to.
"We don't want it to be dismissed, we don't want to issue it in error. So, we want to do everything possible to make a case that's going to hold up," said McGinnis.
Their goal is prevent repeat offenders as the City works to tackle this persistent problem.
"I pulled the numbers. We responded to 21,852 illegal dumping [service requests] last year with 13 investigators," McGinnis said.
One service request was for a pile of tires in West Baltimore.
"It's not that many," McGinnis told Sofastaii. "We had a conviction last year where the guy dumped almost three tons of tires."
He explained that tires are now harder to recycle and there's a cost to dispose of them properly. And while the tires were the main complaint, someone had also dumped several illegally dumped boats and a school bus nearby.
"I've lived in the city for almost six years now. You know, I'm raising my children here. So yes, this, this bugs me, and it's part of why I enjoy my job, because I have a vested interest in this job," McGinnis said.
The department employs several strategies to combat illegal dumping including responding to 311 complaints, deploying approximately 98 motion-activated cameras to catch illegal dumpers, and routinely inspecting 100 hot spots multiple times a week.
The financial impact is significant. In Fiscal Year 2024, it cost the city over $26 million to provide cleaning services for illegal dumping, street sweeping, and graffiti removal.
While the department emphasizes education, they're also issuing substantial citations and fines to send a message that illegal dumping is anything but free.
As of October last year, the department can now post images of suspected dumpers and seek the public's help in identifying them. Fines for illegal dumping can range from $50 to $30,000 and in some cases include imprisonment.
Report illegal dumping
To report illegal dumping, contact 311 by phone or online via the Balt311 mobile app or website. You can also use the online 311 portal to submit a service request.
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