Illegal dumping a concern

Dear editor,

On April 1, 2015, Cassandra Wenner wrote an article in regards to Elmore County Sheriff's Office Press Release regarding illegal dumping (Mountain Home News, April 1, 2015). The Elmore County Sheriff's Office press release was not an attempt to provide the rules of operation of the County Landfill.

The press release was a notice to the citizens that there is illegal trash dumping occurring on public land and some reasons why this dumping maybe occurring.

I made reference that the dumping maybe related to the landfill fees or that some people may have taken their trash to the dump and it was closed so some people have dumped alongside the road or in the gravel pits. I want to clarify that the Sheriff's Office does not think that this is just a landfill issue.

It is just a small part of the dumping problem. BLM and Elmore County Deputies have increased our patrols in problem areas.

We have had our Sheriff's Inmate Labor Detail cleaning these areas up. However, it is a problem county wide. We are seeing TVs, furniture, appliances, shrubs and yard waste being dumped alongside the road, in gravel pits and in the desert.

People are target practicing and leaving their backstops, plastic, broken bottles, paper targets and bullet casings lying there and leaving. This dumping is not acceptable.

I took the time to contact Mrs. Wenner to address her concerns. She asked me to look into who is responsible for the landfill, accountability and tracking of funds.

I felt she had some good questions that need answered. I reached out to the Elmore County Commissioners, the Elmore County Clerk and Idaho Waste Systems.

The Land Fill is owned by Elmore County and is operated by a private contractor, Idaho Waste Systems, Inc. I checked to see what publications had been done to let the public know about the changes. I was told by the County Clerk, that there were several publishing's in the local paper.

I stated in my press release that the landfill fees and hours are currently on the Elmore County website. I also learned that the City of Mountain Home has the landfill hours and rates on their web site and they sent notice to the city residents in their utility bills.

I asked Idaho Waste about Mrs. Wenner's concern over money handling. I was told by Idaho Waste Systems that they have a receipt process that permits them to track transactions.

In closing I would like to say that we all need to be aware of people who are littering our county. It is simply unacceptable and it is against the law. I hope we have covered all of your concerns.

If you have questions about the Landfill, please contact them at 208-724-0197.

-- Chief Deputy Mike Barclay, Elmore County Sheriff's Office