A homeowner living on Lake Erie was enraged when they reviewed home security footage that captured what happened after a suspicious truck drove through his neighbor's yard.
After watching the truck back up to the lake, the homeowner could no longer see the vehicle or its driver, which had become obscured by shrubbery. However, footage from a home security camera provided another angle — and showed clearly why the driver was there and what they were doing.
The footage shows the driver reaching into the bed of their truck, over and over again, and tossing trash, junk, and debris over a steep ledge and into the lake.
"I was pretty incensed, and I was pretty determined that I'm not going to let this go," the neighbor told Cleveland 19 News after sending the footage to the station to spread awareness.
Unfortunately, the illegal dumping of trash and debris is not uncommon. In the United States alone, 1.5 million tons of trash are illegally dumped each year, which equates to about 4,109 tons of trash per day. Among the most common items dumped are tires, refrigerators, and other heavy objects, according to a study cited by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Looking down the bank where the truck and mystery driver had been, the homeowner could see scrap metal, including sheets and rods, he hadn't seen before.
Among his main concerns were how the dumped trash would affect local wildlife and people who use the lake.
When trash is dumped, it can have terrible consequences on the environment. One effect, particularly relevant in this instance, is its contamination of local water sources as toxic chemicals leach from debris. These chemicals can have dangerous effects on the health of plants, animals, and humans. Plus, some chemicals can take years to fully break down.
Dumped trash can also become breeding grounds for mosquitoes and rats, which can increase the spread of severe illnesses, such as dengue fever, hantavirus, and even the plague, to humans.
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While the trash dumping at Lake Erie has been reported to the EPA, the concerned homeowner pleaded for others to do better with their disposal and report illegally dumped trash.
"We have to be responsible citizens about this kind of environmental protection," he told Cleveland 19 News.
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