A local effort to provide outdoor opportunities for disabled children and veterans is being overshadowed by a growing problem—illegal dumping.
“We are getting slammed with garbage. I’ve got at least 50 bags,” said Todd Dunn, organizer of the True Lure Trout Derby, as he voiced his frustration at Thursday’s Scioto County Commissioners meeting.
Dunn, who works to establish wheelchair-accessible trails for fishing and hunting, said piles of discarded freezers, tires, couches, and even refrigerators are littering the West Side, stretching from Shepherd’s Fork to Nauvoo-Pond Creek Road.
“They’re dumping like crazy right now,” he warned. “Something’s got to be done.”
Dunn has witnessed people illegally dumping but has refrained from direct confrontation, fearing potential conflicts. He urged commissioners to request increased patrols from the Scioto County Sheriff’s Office to deter offenders.
Commissioner Scottie Powell acknowledged the problem and said he had spoken to the Lawrence Scioto Solid Waste Management District. He suggested installing surveillance cameras to catch violators in the act.
A Long-Standing Problem
Illegal dumping has plagued the region for decades, with county officials regularly addressing the issue. Commissioner Bryan Davis previously expressed frustration, saying, “I don’t know why people think the great outdoors is their personal trash bin.”
The scale of the problem is staggering. In February 2020, work crews hauled away nine tons of illegally dumped garbage. By 2022, nearly 100 illegal dump sites had been reported near Wayne National Forest, and the issue continues to escalate.
Dunn, who recently found a TV and refrigerator dumped in his own driveway, said enough is enough.
“It’s been a dumping ground for 60 years. Now it’s getting worse.”
With no immediate solution in place, he and other community members are left waiting—and hoping—for stronger enforcement and action to clean up the land meant for outdoor recreation, not trash disposal.
