Throwing your home’s garbage in a business’s dumpster may cost you big-time anywhere in this county
Swansea, SC (Paul Kirby) – The Swansea Police Department recently called attention to a problem that happens countywide. Businesses and other entities that pay for their garbage to be removed from their property by a trash company are complaining that citizens are dumping their trash into their private containers. These containers cost the businesses to empty and they’re paying for that lazy or insensitive person’s garbage to be taken away too!
Swansea Police Chief Clif Hayes made it clear over the department’s social media that private citizens can only throw their garbage into the dumpster at a business, restaurant, or even an apartment complex with permission from that business’ owner. If you live in an apartment complex, your rental agreement is usually considered that permission to dispose of garbage generated in your apartment only. If you have permission from another type business, it’s usually best to get the permission in writing and have that with you when you are using the dumpster or garbage container. If you don’t, you may need to prove you had permission to a judge in court. Hayes summed it up by saying regarding his town, “The big trash containers at the businesses in town are for their business use only.”
Hayes pointed out that if you are caught dumping trash into these containers without permission, or trash is removed from these containers that has your name on it, it could result in you being fined $1087.50 for illegal dumping! That’s not just in Swansea, that’s in any town or unincorporated portions of the county. That fine is a lot of money that you could use to pay for your own curbside garbage service. You could also take your garbage and recyclable to any county convenience station for free.
This is not a harmless crime. Businesses charge their customers based on ALL their expenses plus a little profit. If they have to pay to have their dumpsters emptied more frequently, that cost is passed on to their customers.
