Brookhaven using video surveillance to crack down on dumping at town parks
Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico, left, and Councilman Jonathan Kornreich next to a dumpster they said was filled with construction debris and other trash at West Meadow Beach park in Stony Brook on April 22. Credit: Town of Brookhaven
Brookhaven Town officials have launched a crackdown on illegal dumping in town parks as they prepare for what they fear may be an onslaught of waste left in vacant lots and public lands when the town landfill starts closing in December.
The town is using video surveillance to monitor trash receptacles after staff in recent months found construction debris, household trash and garbage from restaurants in dumpsters at some parks, Supervisor Dan Panico said, adding some egregious cases may be referred to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office for prosecution. The town last year increased fines to fight illegal dumping.
In one such instance, on April 22, an industrial-size trash bin at West Meadow Beach in Stony Brook was stuffed with construction material, Panico said, adding the receptacle is used by town parks staff and is not available for use by parkgoers.
Brookhaven has cited 10 people so far this year for illegal dumping in town parks, including a suspect in the West Meadow Beach case, Panico and Town Councilman Jonathan Kornreich said, adding those people were issued warnings and do not face charges or fines.
Separately, Brookhaven announced Monday that an unidentified man had paid a $3,250 fine plus $756.28 in cleanup costs for leaving a debris-filled boat on Bellport Avenue in Yaphank. A photo provided by town officials showed the badly damaged boat, which was discovered May 10, filled with dirt, vegetation and household trash.
Panico said illegal dumping is "embarrassing," adding stepped-up enforcement "is the best deterrent."
"Those dumpsters are obviously paid for by the taxpayers of the Town of Brookhaven," Panico said. "Those contractors are to find their own means of disposals.”
Brookhaven and Suffolk County have increased fines over the past year and stepped up enforcement of illegal dumping, citing an uptick of dumping in public lands and vacant lots. They fear the problem will worsen as the town pursues plans to close the landfill — shutting off one of the few places on Long Island where it's legal to dump construction debris.
The landfill will cease accepting construction material in December, and is slated to close when it stops accepting ash from incinerators in 2027 or 2028, Panico has said.
The landfill's closure is expected to drive up disposal costs by forcing contractors and Reworld, formerly Covanta, which operates Long Island's four incinerators, to ship waste to off-Island landfills.
Mike Florio, chief executive of the Long Island Builders Institute, a lobbying group representing 792 construction companies, said the group warns its members not to dump construction waste where it doesn't belong, adding illegal dumping "is something we take very seriously. In fact, we have removed members from our organization in the past who have been involved in that practice."
The Brookhaven Town Board on July 18 voted 6-0 to update the town's illegal dumping code by eliminating language that had exempted piles of litter smaller than 10 square feet.
Brookhaven Town Attorney Annette Eaderesto said amending the law was necessary to help deter dumping before the landfill closes.
”If somebody throws their McDonald's bags in the dumpster, we’re not going to prosecute,” Eaderesto said before the town board approved the measure. “[But] if they’re using these dumpsters or these recycling bins incorrectly, we’ll find out who did it.”
Minimum fines for illegal dumping in Brookhaven are $2,000 for a first-time conviction, with a maximum of $10,000 per occurrence and a prison sentence of 15 days. Penalties for second offenses are a $4,000 minimum fine, with a maximum fine of $20,000 and 15 days to 6 months in jail.
Central Pine Barrens Commission officials said they have seen a marked increase in construction and landscaping debris, furniture and other household waste in the 105,000-acre, state-protected forest. Illegal dumping cases doubled to 127 in 2023 from 63 the year before, officials said previously.
Pine barrens commission executive director Judy Jakobsen said the state agency has stepped up enforcement in the forest, which is patrolled by a consortium of state, Suffolk and town police agencies.
But she conceded that some people will "take it to other avenues,” when the landfill closes.
Brookhaven Town officials have launched a crackdown on illegal dumping in town parks as they prepare for what they fear may be an onslaught of waste left in vacant lots and public lands when the town landfill starts closing in December.
The town is using video surveillance to monitor trash receptacles after staff in recent months found construction debris, household trash and garbage from restaurants in dumpsters at some parks, Supervisor Dan Panico said, adding some egregious cases may be referred to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office for prosecution. The town last year increased fines to fight illegal dumping.
In one such instance, on April 22, an industrial-size trash bin at West Meadow Beach in Stony Brook was stuffed with construction material, Panico said, adding the receptacle is used by town parks staff and is not available for use by parkgoers.
Brookhaven has cited 10 people so far this year for illegal dumping in town parks, including a suspect in the West Meadow Beach case, Panico and Town Councilman Jonathan Kornreich said, adding those people were issued warnings and do not face charges or fines.
Separately, Brookhaven announced Monday that an unidentified man had paid a $3,250 fine plus $756.28 in cleanup costs for leaving a debris-filled boat on Bellport Avenue in Yaphank. A photo provided by town officials showed the badly damaged boat, which was discovered May 10, filled with dirt, vegetation and household trash.
Panico said illegal dumping is "embarrassing," adding stepped-up enforcement "is the best deterrent."
"Those dumpsters are obviously paid for by the taxpayers of the Town of Brookhaven," Panico said. "Those contractors are to find their own means of disposals.”
Brookhaven and Suffolk County have increased fines over the past year and stepped up enforcement of illegal dumping, citing an uptick of dumping in public lands and vacant lots. They fear the problem will worsen as the town pursues plans to close the landfill — shutting off one of the few places on Long Island where it's legal to dump construction debris.
The landfill will cease accepting construction material in December, and is slated to close when it stops accepting ash from incinerators in 2027 or 2028, Panico has said.
The landfill's closure is expected to drive up disposal costs by forcing contractors and Reworld, formerly Covanta, which operates Long Island's four incinerators, to ship waste to off-Island landfills.
Mike Florio, chief executive of the Long Island Builders Institute, a lobbying group representing 792 construction companies, said the group warns its members not to dump construction waste where it doesn't belong, adding illegal dumping "is something we take very seriously. In fact, we have removed members from our organization in the past who have been involved in that practice."
The Brookhaven Town Board on July 18 voted 6-0 to update the town's illegal dumping code by eliminating language that had exempted piles of litter smaller than 10 square feet.
Brookhaven Town Attorney Annette Eaderesto said amending the law was necessary to help deter dumping before the landfill closes.
”If somebody throws their McDonald's bags in the dumpster, we’re not going to prosecute,” Eaderesto said before the town board approved the measure. “[But] if they’re using these dumpsters or these recycling bins incorrectly, we’ll find out who did it.”
Minimum fines for illegal dumping in Brookhaven are $2,000 for a first-time conviction, with a maximum of $10,000 per occurrence and a prison sentence of 15 days. Penalties for second offenses are a $4,000 minimum fine, with a maximum fine of $20,000 and 15 days to 6 months in jail.
Central Pine Barrens Commission officials said they have seen a marked increase in construction and landscaping debris, furniture and other household waste in the 105,000-acre, state-protected forest. Illegal dumping cases doubled to 127 in 2023 from 63 the year before, officials said previously.
Pine barrens commission executive director Judy Jakobsen said the state agency has stepped up enforcement in the forest, which is patrolled by a consortium of state, Suffolk and town police agencies.
But she conceded that some people will "take it to other avenues,” when the landfill closes.
Crackdown on dumping
- Brookhaven Town officials have launched a crackdown on dumping in town parks after finding trash receptacles stuffed with construction waste and other debris.
- The town board has amended its illegal dumping law, eliminating an exemption for piles of litter less than 10 square feet.
- Town and Suffolk County officials fear illegal dumping will increase with the closure of the town landfill.
Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.
'I'm going to try to avoid it' A trip to the emergency room in a Long Island hospital now averages nearly 4 hours, data shows. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
'I'm going to try to avoid it' A trip to the emergency room in a Long Island hospital now averages nearly 4 hours, data shows. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.
