MRPC News Release
Feb. 16, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Tammy Snodgrass or Nongluk Tunyavanich—(573) 265-2993
CRAWFORD COUNTY, MRPC, SOLID WASTE DISTRICT TO HOST
EDUCATIONAL DINNER MEETING ON ILLEGAL DUMPING MARCH 21 IN CUBA
Reservations needed by March 9
Crawford County residents who want to learn more about illegal dumping are invited to a meeting at 6 p.m. March 21 at the Cuba High School, #1 Wildcat Pride Drive in Cuba. The meeting, which includes dinner, is sponsored by the Crawford County Commission, Meramec Regional Planning Commission and the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste District in an effort to inform residents about the extent of illegal dumping in Crawford County, the affects on the community and water resources and what efforts are underway to help address the problem.
Reservations for the meeting, which will be held in the school’s common area, are needed by March 9 to make catering arrangements. Persons can contact ORSWMD at 573-265-2993 or email nongluk@meramecregion.org.
Meeting attendees will also be introduced to the Adopt-A-Dump program and will learn where the county’s 15 illegal dumps are located.
The meeting is funded through the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District, which includes Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties.
Additionally, various agencies will have informational exhibits set up and will be available to discuss their role in the illegal dump effort.
Besides being aesthetically unpleasing, illegal dumping lowers property values and poses an unsanitary risk to residents living near a dumpsite. The Missouri Department of Transportation spends more than $6 million every year to pick up litter and county governments spend thousands as well. MRPC staff, under contract with the ORSWMD, is currently working with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, county sheriffs, prosecuting attorneys and judges to catch and prosecute illegal dumpers in the Ozark Rivers district. More information on this effort, as well as clean up projects in other counties, will be discussed at the March 21 meeting in Cuba.
Persons needing more information on illegal dumping can contact or having questions related to waste disposal may contact ORSWMD by calling (573) 265-2993 or visit MRPC’s website at www.meramecregion.org. ORSWMD also maintains a hotline to report illegal dumping. To report an illegal dump, you may call 1-800-NO2-DUMP (1-800-662-3867).