1. Principal Investigators: Alex Slaymaker & Florian Checco
July 2015
Illegal Dumping in Cincinnati, Ohio
Threat Drivers & Actionable Solutions
“The Everyday Department.”

2. 1

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................................................................................3
CINCINNATI DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICES.......................................................................................................................................4
ILLEGAL DUMPING .....................................................................................................................................................................................7
REPORTING ................................................................................................................................................................................................7
ENFORCEMENT ........................................................................................................................................................................................11
HAMILTON COUNTY.................................................................................................................................................................................15
THE STATE & JURISDICTIONS ...................................................................................................................................................................16
KEY DRIVERS.............................................................................................................................................................................................17
FURNITURE & PERSONAL BELONGINGS ..............................................................................................................................................18
TIRES....................................................................................................................................................................................................25
HOUSEHOLD TRASH: ...........................................................................................................................................................................27
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS ...............................................................................................................................................................28
CRIME CORRELATION...............................................................................................................................................................................29
OHIO BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES....................................................................................................................................................31
STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS............................................................................................................................................................................34
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................................................................................43
DEFINITIONS.............................................................................................................................................................................................44
KEY CONTACTS.........................................................................................................................................................................................45
ADDITIONAL DATA ...................................................................................................................................................................................46
Solid Waste Collection DPS 2003-2014 ...............................................................................................................................................46
Illegal dumping Service Request Seasonality Graph and Chart:..........................................................................................................47
RESOURCES ..............................................................................................................................................................................................48
What goes where? (List of where items can be diposed of created for Cincinnatians) ......................................................................48
Vacant Foreclosed Residential Property Registration Link:.................................................................................................................50
City of Cincinnati Waste Fine Structure:..............................................................................................................................................50
Friday Blitz Schedule:...........................................................................................................................................................................52
City Code: ............................................................................................................................................................................................52
State Code: ..........................................................................................................................................................................................55
Law Enforcement Guide to Scrap Tires (OEPA, 2011): ........................................................................................................................57

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INTRODUCTION
Figure 1 Photo shows an illegal dumping site on a minor roadway contaminated with tires, construction materials,
and yard waste. Vacant structure in background neighbors an occupied residence.
**Note: All dates in report reflect the Fiscal Year unless otherwise stated.
Illegal Dumping presents a serious threat to
citizen health and safety, as well as economic
vitality and community revitalization in
Cincinnati, Ohio. Everyone involved in City
operations, community development, health,
safety, or economic growth understands this to
be true. Inadequate funding, outdated logistics,
disconnected stakeholders, and convoluted
politics create a truly complex problem. This
report was created with input from over 60
stakeholders in the City of Cincinnati and
Hamilton County from all walks of life.
Input from citizens, industry groups, local and
state public employees, private entities, and
community organizations is compiled in this
report to tell the story of how we currently
manage our illegal dumping problem, and how
we should. It may take a town to raise a child,
and it definitely takes a joint City and County
operation to design and implement solutions for
illegal dumping. The purpose of compiling city
processes, drivers, and potential solutions
relevant to dumping into one report is to
mobilize key stakeholders to create a cleaner,
safer, thriving, more beautiful city.

5. 4
CINCINNATI DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SERVICES
Figure 2 Collage shows a sampling of DPS responsibilities including bulk item pick-up, trash collection,
improper trash set-out citations, and illegal dumping abatement.
order to operate efficiently at 100% staffing for
current positions. The Neighborhood Operations
Division (NOD) slim staff of 125 active
employees are responsible for trash collection,
yard waste removal, green space maintenance,
dead animal removal, graffiti abatement, and
street sweeping. There is no direct fee issued
for standard curbside trash collection or bulk
pick-up, instead these services are appropriated
through the general fund and estimated to cost
$8.91 monthly per resident. In comparison, the
suburbs of Norwood and Mariemont exceed
$12.00 per month, at $12.25 and $14.25
respectively. Also, Cleveland charges $8.00 and
Dayton $9.78 for comparable services. Thus,
Cincinnatians who dispose of waste illegally are
not fueled by an unreasonably high cost. Large
items are currently collected by NOD’s lightning
loader truck and taken to a local landfill (see
Resources for list of where to take different
items). Over 22,000 free bulk item pick-ups were
scheduled in 2014 over the phone with a
maximum of five items per collection. In
addition, NOD will collect up to four tires a year
per home for free through bulk collection.
The Queen City spans 79.5 mi2 (206.01 km2) of
land along the Ohio River bordering Kentucky
and is home to 52 unique community-declared
neighborhoods with almost 300,000 residents. A
large selection of urban parks, high tree cover,
and a hilly terrain provide an extraordinary
backdrop to everyday life but also many
opportunities to dump illegally without being
seen. Charged with governing this post-
industrial City, the municipal government budget
is divided roughly into three slices: ⅓ for Police,
⅓ for Fire, and ⅓ for all other services including
the Department of Public Services (DPS). This
Department handles everything from the City’s
fleet and buildings to road maintenance, street
cleaning, litter pick-up, trash collection, and
green space just to name a few. Although these
requirements have increased in the last few
years due to harsher winters and degrading
infrastructure, DPS staff has been cut by ⅓
since 2008. Furthermore, due to significant
physical demands, line worker turnover is high,
sick days are frequently used, and workers are
looking for opportunities to promote. To this
point, DPS would need to be staffed at 120% in

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In response to decreased resources, the
creative team at DPS implemented a series of
frugal innovations. For example, NOD reduced
garbage collection from five to four days leaving
Fridays for training and an aggressive blight
remediation program called Friday Blitz
(Schedule in Resources). Starting in April 2015,
NOD schedules a weekly neighborhood Blitz.
Program coordinator Jude Johnson reaches out
to community councils to plan their Blitz. Then,
Johnson coordinates the placement of 2 to 4
roll-off dumpsters in locations requested by
community councils on Tuesday of their Blitz
week. As the dumpsters fill up, NOD personnel
empty them and drop new dumpsters. This
opportunity to dispose of waste continues until
Friday. On Friday, NOD crews work to clean up
blighted streets and areas.
Each Blitz is staffed by about 45 NOD staff
members. One Blitz in East and Lower Price Hill
resulted in over 20 tons of trash and 313 tires
collected for free (see Chart on following page).
During 17 neighborhood ‘Blitzes’ from April 24th
to July 17th, a total of 782 tires and over 175
tons of material have been collected. Therefore,
each Blitz averages a substantial 10 tons of
material collected.
Each roll-off truck must load the roll-off on to the
truck, drive from the NOD ‘garage’ in
Cumminsville to the desired location, drop the
roll-off, and return to the garage which takes a
total of 20-60 minutes depending on how far the
neighborhood is. Then, each truck must return
to the site every time the roll-off is filled in that
Figure 3 Photo shows one of four DPS roll-off trucks.
Blitz which is usually 2 or 3 times per 40 yard
roll-off. If the truck arrives and the roll-off
dumpster is overflowing, they must call in the
lightning loader to remove the debris sticking out
so the dumpster may be tarped. Finally, the
truck must drive to Republic Service’s transfer
station in Evendale to drop off the load and then
return to their garage which may take 40
minutes to 2 hours. Driving from the transfer
station back to the garage alone takes 20-30
minutes depending on traffic.
Combined, the whole process of dropping and
disposing of one dumpster may take up to three
hours based on distance and traffic. With only 3
trained truck drivers and 4 roll-off trucks in the
fleet, expanding service would require increased
staffing and possibly the purchase of more
equipment. This type of department-specific
logistical knowledge helps stakeholders
understand why ‘just adding more dumpsters’ is
not currently a viable solution.
Figure 4 Photo from Jude Johnson shows a Blitz dumpster which will need leveled off and tarped.

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Figure 5 Chart shows data provided by Jude Johnson at NOD from the entire Blitz program to-date. Packer Tonnage
refers to materials from corner cans, community members, and Blitz workers picked up by Packer (garbage) trucks. It
should be noted ‘Loader Tonnage’ refers to the lightning loader which collects bulk-items and takes excess materials
off dumpsters. When this value is zero, the Loader was being used for another purpose that day. Also, these tires are
only those found on Friday so the number collected is likely even higher. Below photos from Jude Johnson show Blitz
workers doing the extremely physical, and sometimes dangerous work of abating large dump sites.

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ILLEGAL DUMPING
REPORTING
Private property requests are the responsibility
of land owners. Also, land between a private
property and right of way is the responsibility of
the adjacent property owner. Citizens frequently
confuse public and private property when
reporting, leading to slower abatement as the
service request is transferred between units.
Although reported illegal dumping cases and
actual dumpsites vary, data recorded through
reporting is used to analyze the current state of
dumping. There is no measure developed which
captures a more accurate number of sites in the
City. Before presenting Data from this source,
said nuances must be taken into account.
What is Illegal Dumping & What is Litter?
Depends who you ask…
 Section 729 defines dumping as depositing any
type of waste into water or on ground at site
unlicensed as solid waste facility.
 Sec. 714 defines litter as garbage, trash, waste,
rubbish, ashes, cans, bottles, wire, paper,
cartons, boxes, automobile parts, furniture,
glass, or anything else of an unsightly or
unsanitary nature which when not properly
disposed of creates a danger to public health,
safety and welfare. This sounds like dumping.
 DPS defines dumping as illegal discard out of a
vehicle which is likely a greater volume than
common litter like candy wrappers, cigarettes,
and fast food (which is classified as litter).
 To make matters more confusing, illegal
dumping defined by Litter and Weeds Code
Enforcement is waste discarded on private
property when the culprit is known. But, private
property dumping without a culprit is considered
failure to maintain property free of litter.
Nuances in something as simple as definitions
can lead to confusion and inefficiency.
DPS offers weekly curbside collection, Rumpke
provides a commercial curbside collection
service, and other options also exist for citizens
to dispose of items. However, these services
aren’t always utilized. In response, another
responsibility of Public Services is illegal
dumping investigation and abatement.
Residents and non-residents who are either
unwilling to use, or unaware of responsible
waste disposal options commonly dump their
waste on vacant lots, isolated locations,
overgrown green space, alleys, unoccupied
properties, apartment building dumpsters, and
less-traveled roads. According to anecdotal
evidence from Keep Cincinnati Beautiful,
dumpers are usually males ages 20 to 50 and
most commonly utilize pick-up trucks or vans to
transport waste. Behavioral motives behind the
choice not to dispose of waste properly are
detailed in the Key Drivers section of this report.
Citizens report illegal dumping and illegal
dumpsites on private and public property to DPS
through a myriad of channels including
telephone, cell phone app, and a website. These
technologies and the data generated is operated
and managed through Cincinnati Area
Geographic Information Systems (CAGIS).
Service requests are directed to appropriate
stakeholders based on private and public
property classification. Once reported, public
property dumping service requests are sent to
NOD’s Greenspace team within DPS for
investigation and remediation. However, some
roadway greenspace is the responsibility of the
Ohio Department of Transportation or the Parks
Department.

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Increasing Data Quality
Illegal dumping reporting captured through CSR
created poor quality data of little use to DPS for
analysis. Since the City is currently developing
a new version of their App, DPS saw this as an
opportunity to update this process among
others. Also, service requests for Litter were
changed in order to reduce misreporting of
dumping as litter. This example shows how
strategic low difficulty solutions like changing
language and options given for questions on
reporting app may have a big impact in terms of
improving data quality, process flow, and ease-
of-use. Version 2.0 of this App scheduled to
launch in Fall 2015 will be called ‘Fix it Cincy!’
Figure 6 At 5916000.com citizens see
these options and more for reporting,
mapping, and searching previous SRs.
dumped on in the city (see Figure 7). But, this
conclusion is premature for a multitude of
reasons. Consider the number of residents who
are unaware of these reporting options,
misreport dumping as litter, are immune to the
problem due to constant exposure, or feel too
disempowered to act. These communities may
not have less dumping than EPH, but the data
suggests this assumption to be true. Ironically,
more reporting may actually represent increased
community organization, pride, and ownership of
a problem which is decreasing or visa versa. For
example, neighborhoods like North Fairmount
are not shown as hotspots for dumping based
on service requests displayed in Figure 7.
Furthermore, since the App’s launch in 2012
and the rise of internet access, reporting may
have increased simply due to increased
reporting capabilities. When residents decide to
call, 40% hang-up before speaking to staff due
to wait times. The Citizen Service Request
(CSR) Call Center staff at DPS have been cut
from 12 to 3 since the 2008 recession, while the
volume of requests increased. Furthermore,
after these recession cuts Call Center hours
decreased from 24/7 to 5 days a week from 7
am-5 pm (excluding holidays), thus limiting
accessibility to residents without internet access
or attempting to schedule bulk item pick-up. For
these reasons, DPS is transitioning to a more
electronic system and the City is exploring the
implementation of a 3-1-1 type reporting option
similar to other cities across the nation. The
following maps show changes in the number of
service requests for illegal dumping submitted
for each neighborhood between 2013 and 2015.
Data is not adjusted for neighborhood
population since it is not tracked between
Census years.
Some mobilized and organized communities are
very active reporters. For example, East Price
Hill (EPH) community members and business
organizations report frequently which may make
their community look like one of the most

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Figure7Mapshowshowmanyrequestsforillegaldumpingweresubmittedineachneighborhoodfrom2013-2014.Forcomparison,the
subsequentmapdepictsthesamedatatypefor2014-2015.Neighborhoodsinwhitehadnorequests.
Yet, Cincinnati citizens and DPS staff sharing
experiential evidence suggest the contrary. That
being said, a reported decline in dumping within
Northside and other areas experiencing
increased devlopment, community pride, and
reporting may accuratefly reflect a decline in
actual dumping. Northside’s culture of citizen
engagement, acceptance, and social
connectvity are key ingredients required for a
real reduction in dumping and other crimes.

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12. 11
ENFORCEMENT
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
Illegal Dumping Service Request Seasonality 2010-2015
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Figure 8 Graph above illustrates seasonality of illegal dumping reporting. Enlarged graph and table included in
Additional Data section at end of report.
The below graph and chart suggest seasonality
of illegal dumping reporting. Overall, each year
experiences a downward trend from August to
December. Although the data shows variability,
illegal dumping reporting generally peaks during
the summer months and declines during the
winter. As weather patterns continue to become
less predictable and warmer, dumping
fluctuations will likely increase. During the winter
fewer people spend less time outside and fewer
opportunities to see dumpsites or dumpers
which may lead to decreased reporting without
an actual decrease in dumping. The bulk of
University move-out affiliated dumping is
generated during late April and early May,
contributing to the spike.
Service requests for dumping on private
property are sent to Litter & Weeds Code
Enforcement (LWCE), a division located within
DPS. This service was part of the Health Dept.
until Spring of 2015. Code Enforcement has 5
Officers divided geographically between the
City’s 52 neighborhoods to handle weed and
litter complaints under ordinances 714, 729, and
731. Each Officer handles 15 complaints a day
on average.
Ordinance 714 regulates littering, 729 for trash
collection/ set-outs/ and illegal dumping, and
731 for tall grass. Furthermore, dumping is
included in ordinance 729 dedicated to trash
collection set-out violations. One additional
Officer handles improper set-outs for a total of
six Officers currently involved in dumping code
enforcement and two positions remain vacant.
There is no specific individual dedicated to
dumping enforcement within the City of
Cincinnati or Hamilton County.

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10 days 3 weeks 3 weeks
Initial: C1 Offense ($500)
$1,250 fine + all subsequent citations escalate every 3 weeks unabated
+ abatement cost fined to property tax code
*Owner-abated and compliance sustained at any point in timeline results in removal of property from PLAP
and declaration of occupancy. Existing fines still due unless decided otherwise in court.
1st
subsequent citation: Class D Offense ($750) +
property classified as ‘vacant’ + enters PLAP
Action Timeline Following Code Enforcement Inspector Investigation of Citizen Service Request
Figure 9 Litter & Weeds Code Enforcement citation process for illegal dumping as of April, 2015.
Future Efficiency Improvements
LWCE is in the process of transitioning to a
more efficient, and economically sound system
for issuing citations. CAGIS is developing an
app for Officers to use on durable tablets in the
field which will insert data into a letter and then
send it to a portable printer in their trunk. The
streamlined digital process will create a history
of citations complete with photos, addresses,
and tax billing addresses for prosecution stored
on the cloud and accessible to the City and
County. This system will decrease paper use,
CO2 emissions, printing costs, and wasted
labor hours. Additionally, LWCE is taking this
opportunity to overhaul all citation formatting
and language. The system is expected to
launch within the next six months.
Currently, all dumping citations through LWCE
are printed in the morning for Officers to bring in
the field. When Officers investigate a service
request and find no violation, the citation is
disposed of at a loss of resources, labor, and
funding. Citations may also require a change to
the citation, requiring Officers to drive back to
the Office, re-print the citation, and drive back to
the site.
Since January 1st of 2012, 233 civil citations
were issued by LWCE for private property
owners with litter on their property that was
presumably dumped there. Of these, 184 were
abated by the property owner or his/her agent,
representing a 79% compliance rate.
As of April 2015 the enforcement process for
dumping on private properties starts with an
initial citation of $500 upon the Officer inspecting
the private property location reported through
the CSR system. All fines issued double if not
paid or a written answer filed within 7 days.
At this point, Code Enforcement Officers return
to the scene and issue a $750 citation if the
property is still in violation. After the second
subsequent citation and Class E fine of $1,250,
properties are declared ‘vacant’ and put into the
Private Lot Abatement Program (PLAP)
operated by DPS in partnership with a non-profit
Keep Cincinnati Beautiful (KCB).

14. 13
.
Keep Cincinnati Beautiful
KCB receives about 70% of their annual budget
from DPS and thus is a strong partner in
dumping prevention and abatement programs.
They’ve launched educational campaigns like
the infamous, ‘Don’t trash my Nati’, hosted EPA
funded tire amnesty events, and coordinate the
new abatement effort PLAP. KCB’s deer
camera operation led by KCB staff Adam Curry,
monitors four chronic dump sites in the city.
Each camera set-up costs $300 while decoy
cameras cost $40. Decoys are a good
technique if funding isn’t available to buy an
actual camera. Two court cases are currently in
the legal pipeline as a result of this initiative.
Figure 10 Photos taken by Hamilton County Sheriff Jimmy Cox, who supervises the PLAP crew.
As of early April there were 839 referrals to
PLAP. Of those, an estimated 122 were abated
and 189 are scheduled for abatement. Lots may
be cleaned-up by volunteers, Hamilton County
Sheriff work-crews, Community Partners, Lawn
Life, Easter Seal, or DPS staff. Not only does
this program mobilize citizen groups to get
involved in abatement, but also provides job
training for people with disabilities through
Easter Seals. PLAP pays $52,000 a year for
inmates to help with clean-up and some
dumping specific projects. The City spent
$120,000 in 2015 for the PLAP program. In
2016 an additional $165,000 was included in the
city budget and another $138,000 was obtained
from grants for PLAP. This investment into the
economic recovery of Cincinnati helps clean-up
blighted lots, many of which include dumping.
In 2014, KCB used OEPA grant funding to
organize 14 cleanups with hundreds of
volunteers and community service workers.
Over 60 tons of trash and 2,245 illegally dumped
tires were properly disposed of. In order to cover
more ground, DPS is launching a new initiative
within PLAP cleverly named ‘Help-A-Lot’.
This program pays community groups (i.e.
football teams, community councils, etc.) to
clean-up selected lots in the PLAP. Lots may be
severely overgrown and/ or dump sites as
depicted in the photos below. Overgrown
properties are indicators of blight and prime
dumping grounds. Since it takes a long time to
clean-up hundreds of blighted properties,
Officers continue to return to the property and
escalate fines for violations every three weeks
after the second citation.

15. 14
Figure 11 Section pulled from Building Code Enforcement second citation letter.
There are a few important nuances to this
citation process including the ability for property
owners in good standing to petition the city to be
part of an amnesty program. This program
allows owners to receive up to 100% of their
citation back after prompt remediation and
allows renters to receive up to 50% of their fine
reimbursed. This decision was made in
response to frustrated citizens who are victims
of dumping but manage their properties
responsibly overall because they are held
financially responsible if no culprit is found to
charge for the crime of dumping. However, the
different treatment of owners who occupy their
homes and apartment owners created much
frustration from landlords in the City.
Another nuance to the system is how both
Building and Litter & Weed Code Enforcement
Officers are citing the same issue in disparate
ways. Although foreclosed properties are prone
to dumping, homes or lots need only be vacant
to serve as a true magnet for dumping. When
Building Code Enforcement investigates a site
and finds dumping, they issue a citation.
Cincinnati’s Vacant Foreclosed Property
Registration Maintenance Requirements include
Section 1123-9, Maintenance Obligations of
Mortgages. As such, ‘During the period that the
property is registered, the mortgagee is required
to maintain vacant, foreclosed property free of
all outward appearances including keeping the
premises free of debris and litter.
The first citation is $50, subsequent $100, and
then the fee doubles every 7 days. Usually,
Building Code Enforcement deal with buildings
without standard ownership. For example, these
Officers frequently hold banks responsible for
the littering/ dumping fine because of defaulted
ownership. Preservation Companies maintaining
these buildings also commonly assume the
responsibility of lawn care and ordinance
compliance. In fact, approximately 30% of
properties in the city are in corporate home
ownership. These properties are typically in
areas with the highest dumping rates and
poorest communities. Directing citations to these
parties is critical for collection because landlords
are not even allowed back on their property after
foreclosure. If a previous landlord or owner is
cited, they easily appeal this fee in court after
foreclosure. Currently, Litter & Weeds Code
Enforcement may cite a property which turns out
to be in the foreclosure process. Although
Building Code Enforcement has an open access
and frequently updated list of foreclosed building
online (see Resources for link), the Litter
Officers are not currently using this in the field.

16. 15
HAMILTON COUNTY
Hamilton County Public Health’s Division of
Waste Management (DWM) receives complaints
over the phone or agency referrals (i.e. Soil and
Water Conservation District). The complaint is
either handled as a nuisance if mismanagement
of trash/ garbage, or an open dump site if debris
like construction materials or tires. Townships
without trash collection subscription are the
main culprits of dumping. Furthermore, DWM
Officers identified lead, mold, and bed bugs as
other issues commonly present in the same
geographic range as dumping.
Since photo proof of violation is included on
citations, a strong court case is built throughout
the whole process. Also, citations include
intimidating language referencing all relevant
state-level fines which may be issued (see
Figure 12). Properties with dumping have one
month for abatement and nuisance complaints
have one week before escalating to second
notice and a letter from Prosecutor threatening a
court case. Although unabated properties
escalate to the prosecutor, the majority are
owner-abated prior to this step.
Figure 12 Notice of Violation from Hamilton County Public Health Solid Waste Unit. Continued on next page.

17. 16
Cincinnati Police Department
Each neighborhood in the City has a designated
Officer to contact with questions or concerns.
These officers serve as liaisons between
communities and the Department. Although
more Officers are not required to enforce
dumping regulations, Officers must be trained
on protocol and regulations. Most Officers have
not handled Environmental Crimes. They may
not know someone transporting more than 10
tires without a permit is breaking state law.
They also must be given reason to believe their
actions will lead to convictions.
THE STATE & JURISDICTIONS
At the County-level, the Recycling and Solid
Waste District (HCRSWD) has a state-mandate
to serve as a non-regulatory outreach arm
dedicated to waste reduction programs.
Currently, the HCRSWD’s main role is funding
programs and is not involved with prevention.
For example, in 2014 HCRSWD provided
$20,000 to KCB for tire clean-up events and
received a grant from the Ohio Environmental
Protection Agency (OEPA) for tire amnesty
drop-off days. It should be noted HCRWSWD
doesn’t have jurisdiction in the City of Cincinnati.
On a County-level, tires and construction waste
are major illegal dumping concerns. HCRSWD
helped lead a task force in 2010 to crack down
on tire dumping in Hamilton County which has
since disintegrated. HCRSWD is now
collaborating with major Ohio municipalities in
Fall 2015 to create a state-wide solution to tire
dumping. Since their dedicated team is willing to
collaborate and implement more preventative
measures, they will play a critical role in tackling
dumping across Hamilton County.
Ohio Revised Code (ORC) Chapter 3734 and
Ohio Administrative Code 3745 regulate
dumping on a state level. The OEPA may
pursue administrative and civil enforcement for
noncompliance with tire laws. Criminal
prosecution may ensue for extreme cases.
When the City identifies a dumping culprit,
protocol requires staff to contact the County
Prosecutor’s Office in order to determine the
best way to proceed. Strong collaborative
communication is required between the City and
County since specific processes within this
general framework are handled on a case-by-
case basis.
All dumping felony charges require County
involvement since the Criminal Chief must
review the case to determine if it will go to the
Grand Jury who then determines whether felony
or misdemeanor charges will be pursued. If tires
are involved in the dumping case, state charges
may be issued.
To determine regulatory authority, parties are
asked to contact OEPA, the City Prosecutor’s
Office, or the County Prosecutor’s Office.
Responsibility duplication, jurisdictional
confusion, and disparate prioritization pertaining
to the investigation and prosecution of dumpers
is creating a low risk environment dumpers take
full advantage of. This is not the fault of any
City or County entity, just a reality all entities
need to tackle together.

18. 17
KEY DRIVERS
After providing an overview of the current state
across multi temporal and bureaucratic scales,
this section breaks the dumping stream down for
further analysis. The most commonly reported
dumped items between June 2014 and June
2015 were furniture, tires, construction
materials, and household trash like garbage
bags and clothes. Material characterization of
dumped waste flow allows for strategic
intervention and effective action.
Mattresses and box springs alone comprise
14% of the reported waste stream. And when
mattresses are combined with other items this
percentage rises to 18%. Couches are another
frequently reported object; 9% alone and 15%
when mixed with other items. Combined,
furniture (including sofas), mattresses, and box
springs comprise 36% of the reported dump
stream city-wide.

19. 18
Figure 14 Population decline from
half a million in 1960 to about
300,000 today left many
buildings vacant.
FURNITURE & PERSONAL BELONGINGS
The category ‘dumpsites’ is used to describe
sites with a wide variety and bulk of materials,
making accurate and clear classification difficult.
Interviews suggest one dump load frequently
normalizes the act and attracts other dumpers
with various materials, which can quickly balloon
a few trash bags into a medium sized dumpsite.
Construction materials (7%) and Tires/ car parts
(8%) may not seem like significant components
of the problem, however, both of these
categories are found at the majority of larger
mixed dumpsites. Household items including
garbage bags, clothes, and toys are 10% of the
materials reported and 17% when combined
with other items. Interestingly, it is unclear if
garbage bags reported contain clothes, yard
waste, food, or construction debris like carpet.
These significant findings require further
analysis into key drivers and potential solutions.
Since over one third of dumped materials
reported were classified as furniture or other
household belongings, this category must be
addressed. Specifically, couches and
mattresses seem to be ‘poster children’ for
dumping because most residents have seen
either or both illegally discarded. Since these
items are large and many landlords, renters, and
(to a lesser extent) home owners may be unsure
how to properly dispose of them or are unwilling
to pay the fee to do so if ineligible for free DPS
bulk pick-up. When some residents move or
replace furniture, the old items are commonly
tossed in an alley, curb, or random dumpster.
There are many drivers behind this trend
including foreclosure, evictions, landlord
practices, frequent movers, and bed bugs.
Foreclosure and Vacancy
Vacant properties generated from decades of
out-migration and the mortgage crisis create
convenient low risk places for people to throw
their trash without paying disposal fees.
As shown in the following map, there are
numerous foreclosed lots across the City
with higher concentration in neighborhoods
of high reported or suspected dumping.
Figure 13 Photo depicts a mixed dumpsite.

20. 19
Figure15Mapdepictsthenumberofforeclosuresandthenumberofillegaldumpingservicerequestsfrom2014-2015.
ForeclosuresandIllegalDumpingServiceRequests2014-2015

21. 20
Landlords and Multi-Family Housing
Figure 16 The exits from alley parking are frequently blocked
by furniture dumping in some neighborhoods. Bottom photo
from KCB.
Landlords are uniquely impacted by dumping
because people view their dumpsters as easy
places to unload stuff so they don’t have to pay
disposal fees. These free loaders transition the
burden to property owners who, if over 4 units,
must pay a private hauler for trash and bulk
pick-up plus a 10% franchise fee to dispose of
the items. Disposal fees for waste generated on
site and dumped materials are then distributed
through increased rent. Some landlords have
installed cameras to catch those who pull up
and dump. Landlords feel these leads are not
followed up on by enforcement officials when
reported, even when everything is caught on
camera including a license plate. Steps such as
this were implemented after dumping on
apartment complex dumpsters increased
substantially right after the one cart policy was
deployed despite this policy not being heavily
enforced.
Furniture from off-site is the most commonly
dumped item on these properties or in and
around their dumpsters. Responsible landlords
schedule a bulk-pick up at substantial cost to
them, through private haulers for apartments
with more than 4 units. For example, Rumpke
charges an estimated $95 for removing one
couch which must be wrapped in plastic. Some
landlords receive citations from LWCE while
waiting for Rumpke to come after scheduling.
Then, they fight these charges in court. This
whole cycle creates a substantial burden on
responsible property owners and is an inefficient
use of LWCE Officers’ time. Since the County
Auditor lists contact information for all registered
rental properties online, landlords would like
LWCE to call them (if in good standing) when
inspecting their property instead of writing a
ticket. This way, landlords will be informed of the
issue and be granted an opportunity to promptly
address it without being punished. This would
save both landlords and LWCE Officers time
and frustration frequently spent debating the
charges in court later.

22. 21
Landlords are confused about which properties
are offered City services and don’t understand
why all residents, no matter the size of their
building, ‘aren’t treated equally’. They suggest a
privatization or transition to only DPS service in
the City, instead of a piece-meal approach.
Exploitative and irresponsible landlord practices
are anomalies in the industry, but greatly impact
dumping in the City. Some landlords claim they
are unable to control what tenants do with their
waste on their property or beyond. Education
about proper disposal of items, prices, and
penalties of improper disposal are seriously
lacking. That being said, enforcement on actual
chronic offenders (not those who are victims of
dumping but abate within a reasonable time)
must be increased to help turn knowledge into
action. Landlords receive increasing fines and a
chronic offender status for not cutting their
grass, and some in the industry suggest a
similar approach to chronic improper waste
management in apartments.
Evictions
Contrary to popular belief, neither the CPD or
sheriff’s department have authority over
evictions. The Hamilton County Clerk of
Municipal Courts oversees eviction paperwork
and the physical removal of tenants.
Interestingly, community members suggest most
dumping around apartments happens on the
weekend which would support the assumption
apartment dumping isn’t solely due to evictions.
Every work day the Municipal Courts fax a copy
of evictions from 2 days ago to the Call Center.
The delay ensures Officers don’t check up on
the lot within the period of time landlords have to
clean-up the property (48 hours).
If a LWCE Officer receives a complaint which
they suspect may be linked to an eviction, they
check the CSR system for any indication of a
confirmed eviction. If a complaint is filed against
a property for illegal dumping or litter and an
eviction is confirmed more than 48 hours prior,
then the LWCE Officers will issue a citation.
Figure 17 Photo from KCB shows mattresses dumped in an alleyway.

23. 22
Resident has at least 24 hours to pick-up belongings
after eviction is complete. Landlords have 48 hours
from eviction completion to properly dispose of all
uncollected items in order to avoid a ‘failure to maintain
private property free of litter’ citation.
Owner must sign complaint and appear
in Court or be represented by Attorney. If
no defense, Court grants writ of
restitution and usually 7 days to vacate,
although fewer days may be given.
Renter breaches contract
3 day notice
(excluding holidays and weekends)
Landlord files eviction complaint for
forcible entry & detainer with County
Clerks. Court date scheduled 18-21
days after processing.
Municipal Court Bailiff’s Office contacted
by landlord to arrange set-out with
Deputy Bailiff.
Deputy Bailiff meets landlord on
property on eviction day to remove
tenant if necessary as well as
witnessing the change of locks,
proper disposal of hazardous waste,
and inventory of goods.
Landlord physically moves
tenant stuff from inside of unit
to outside. Usually landlords
contract this service and items
are brought to curb.
During this time
citizens frequently
collect all their items
from the home they
intend on keeping.
Pickers commonly
dig into belongings,
creating a mess
which may span
multiple lots.
Landlord properly donates
items or discards at
Rumpke. Landlord has no
right to keep belongings.
Landlord illegally dumps items.
The Eviction Process

24. 23
N/A
0
5
10
15
20
25
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Percentage
Year
% Reporting Problems with
Bed Bugs in Home
Figure 18 Graph depicts data collected in 2009, 2010, and
2012 by the Greater Cincinnati Survey conducted by UC.
Trend line shows experiential data from stakeholders
involved in bed bug battle.
Bed Bugs
Bed bugs do not ingest chemicals since they
have piercing/ sucking mouthparts, only feed on
blood, and can survive several weeks without
feeding. The Cincinnati Health Department
estimates 70% of these nocturnal bugs are in
sleeping and relaxing areas (i.e. couch,
armchair). They are excellent hitch hikers and
are easily spread in multi-unit buildings. Many
chemical and non-chemical treatments exist for
treating this problem, however, some poor
communities cannot afford these treatments or
are uneducated about proper protocol.
For example, when bed bugs first became a
problem in Cincinnati, individuals were not sure
what to do so they sprayed alcohol in their
homes to try to kill the bugs. This treatment kills
on contact without residual effect but it also
poses a serious safety concern because
smoking and other open flames indoors could
ignite the whole house. Also, heat is frequently a
good option for individual items due to the
service of containerized heat treatments.
However, some residents use the heat
treatment for their entire home and may forget to
remove plastic items, electronics, and other
heat-sensitive objects. Due to this confusion and
horror stories of failed treatment, many residents
opted for illegal dumping of their items during
the beginning years of this break-out.
The City will pick up contaminated items during
a scheduled bulk-pick up for free, however,
many residents either didn’t know this or didn’t
care during the bed bug outbreak. Dumping of
furniture, mattresses, and other items with
crevices increased. Many residents tossed their
belongings by dumpsters, vacant lots, or on the
curbside. Trash pickers would then frequently
pick-up these items and take them home,
especially those items wrapped in plastic.
Contaminated items were required to be
wrapped in plastic before the City purchased a
lightening loader for bulk items, however, this
ironically made items even more desirable since
they were preserved from the elements.
Over time as the City reacted, this outbreak
evolved from panic where people threw
everything out when they saw one bed bug, to a
more informed and rational response. This shift
was partly due to increase education, but also a
new type of pesticide developed which lasts up
to 6 months in the home, enabling residual kill
options. Proper integrated pest management
requires inspection, unit prep for treatment,
treatment, and follow-up.

25. 24
This process requires tenant cooperation and
can range widely in cost. If a landlord hires a
pesticide operator to remove bed bugs from
their building or a unit and the resident doesn’t
do due diligence in the abating the problem, a
third party complaint may be filed to evict the
resident. Processes are now in place to address
bed bugs and they are less of a concern in 2015
than five years ago. However, miseducation
about the proper way to react is still leading to
dumping and bed bug spread. Saran wrap is no
longer required for disposing of items and simply
spray painting an ‘X’ on mattresses which are
contaminated is not enough to deter pickers.
The best option for residents is to destroy
contaminated items by slashing/ cutting
materials and/or breaking legs off chairs to
render them undesirable. Then, these items
must be requested for pick-up by the City if
under 5 units, properly disposed of by tenants,
or responsibly discarded by landlords. The bed
bug driver of dumping provides an interesting
example of how seemingly unrelated trends are
deeply tied. Hopefully now it is clear how bed
bug prevention and treatment programs are also
dumping prevention strategies.
Figure 19 Photo on top shows dumper caught on KCB's deer cam and photo
on bottom shows dumped furniture in a forested area (also from KCB).

26. 25
Figure 20 Photo shows alley prone to illegal dumping of a
mixture of materials including tires and construction debris.
TIRES
Ohio Revised Code prohibits dumping whole or
shredded tires. As explained on the OEPA
website, offenders may be fined $10,000 to
$25,000, and be sentenced to 2-4 years in
prison even if in violation with one tire. Used/
scrap tire transporters must be licensed and
registered by State of Ohio EPA as a
Transporter and must have a written manifest
signed by customer and a copy of their license
with them for every tire transported. All
unregistered transporters may not haul more
than 10 tires at any time. Currently, this law is
not stringently enforced in the City.
Residents can recycle their scrap tires with
Rumpke ($3/ tire), Tire Discounters, and
Walmart Tire & Lube for a fee. Retail stores and
other tire generators who hire licensed must
sign and keep the scrap tire form when used
tires are picked up. This form includes the
number of tires picked up from where and the
destination. Some tires scrappers steal tires with
the intention of selling them to small stores and
then dump the tires of poor quality which were
rejected. The majority of scrappers are not in
compliance with OEPA ordinances.
The Facts
 Cincinnati spends approximately $150,000
per year on fees and staff time for tire
recycling.
 In 2014, Hamilton County Public Health and
Cincinnati Health Department conducted a
combined 176 inspections of open dumps or
nuisance cases where scrap tires were
involved.
 Hamilton County Recycling & Solid Waste
District gave $20,000 to KCB for tire
collection programs.
In 2014 HCRSWD was awarded an Ohio EPA
Scrap Tire Amnesty grant so more events were
held and tires collected. The EPA tracks how
many tires are collected and provides money
back to the city. In 2014, this program recycled
70 tons (7,001 tires). The program has seen no
reduction in tires collected over last decade.
OEPA amnesty grants for drop-off days accept a
minimum of 100 and maximum of 2,000 tires.
However, these events usually collected 50-75
tires. Drop-offs may help reduce illegal dumping,
they are not necessarily a long-term solution.
State Law
ORC 3734.83 (C) prohibits companies to
sell tires to unregistered tire transporters.
ORC 3734.99 outlaws the unregistered
transportation, open burning, and open
dumping of tires. Violation is a felony
with a fine of $10,000 to $25,000, and/ or
imprisonment for 2 to 4 years.

27. 26
Dumped tires not only pose as an eye
sore, but an environmental health
hazard. Tires serve as breeding
grounds for vermin and mosquitos.
Furthermore, tires pollute the
watershed and contaminate land.
Both photos are from KCB.

28. 27
DUMPED HOUSEHOLD TRASH
Figure 21 Graph depicts number of illegal dumping service requests (excluding duplicates) from FY 2006 to 2015.
As Call Center hours decreased, commercial pick-up ended, and policies changed requiring citizens to use only one
trash cart and schedule bulk item collection over the phone, dumping requests increased. Requests decreased in
2015 once citizens were able to utilize more than one cart and the Friday Blitz program began. Is this correlation
simply coincidence?
54
79 63
98 93
246
464
537
892
682
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Number of Service Requests for Illegal Dumping
A series of trash policy changes directly
impacted dumping trends in the last decade (as
shown in Figure 19). In the early 1990s,
Cincinnati shifted from picking up all trash to
only residential, specifically 4 units or less.
Landlords of buildings with more than 4 units are
required to hire a commercial hauler, however,
this law was not strictly enforced until 2010. On
the contrary, recycling services are offered to all
entities, commercial and residential within city
limits. DPS purchased a lightning loader in
response to the bed bug outbreak starting
around 2007 as well as a high number of worker
injuries handling items. In 2013 DPS
implemented a new policy requiring each citizen
to utilize one City-issued 65 gallon trash can.
This policy led to dumping in apartment
dumpsters, leading many landlords to install
cameras. As a result, the number of calls
pertaining to dumping frustration from business
and private property owners increased
dramatically. Despite citizen frustration, Council
denied a motion to dismiss citations for dumping
on private property if abated in 10 days. 2014
the City started offering citizens the option to
pick-up one more cart per unit for free in hopes
of decreasing this problem and frustration from
the community. Household trash including
garbage bags, broken toys, clothing, etc. may
be placed in the garbage bins if citizens choose
not to divert them through other entities
including charities and recycling options.

29. 28
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS
Many small time ‘fly-by-night’ handymen dump
their waste instead of paying tipping fees.
Economically speaking, the very low risk of
getting caught dumping does not outweigh the
cost savings of at least $35 or more at Rumpke
for these individuals. To drop off a load of
construction waste at Rumpke landfill it costs a
minimum of $35 for 3 cubic yards or less and
$12 a yard extra beyond that.
For waste streams like construction material,
many law abiding citizens remodeling their
homes and working on projects may be
confused on how to dispose properly.
Construction materials are not accepted in the
City trash bins and citizens are asked to bring
their materials to Rumpke or another location
listed in Resources at end of document. One
new option is Waste Management’s (WM)
Bagster service which allows citizens to
purchase a large ‘bag’ online or at large home
improvement stores like Home Depot, fill it with
up to 3,300 lbs/ 3 cubic yards of construction
debris, and then schedule a curbside pick-up
through WM. The first bag is $99 and all
additional bags are $79. This cost is
substantially higher than landfill options locally,
however, they offer convenient curbside pick-up.
For more details please visit their website. Since
there are so many options for disposal of
construction waste already available to citizens,
the City likely will focus on increasing knowledge
of these options instead of providing an
additional service.
Figure 22 Photo from KCB shows dumped tiles along with other construction materials and
plastic bags of items located in a wooded area.

30. 29
CRIME CORRELATION
Figure 23 This vacant building is a hotspot for crime
including prostitution and also provides an isolated
dumpsite for a wide variety of items including tires.
Illegal dumping is most common in
neighborhoods already struggling with crime,
violence, and poor health. Low socioeconomic
status may cause conditions which promote
these factors including illegal dumping. This
correlation has social injustice implications due
to the higher prevalence of dumping in already
disadvantaged neighborhoods. Within Districts
1,2,4, and 5 crime and dumping seem to cluster
more than District 3, which has dumping in more
isolated locations. Currently, dump sites are not
intentionally integrated into police routes. Many
Officers find it difficult to prioritize the issue due
to the uncharacteristically high levels of violent
crime experienced in the City over the last year.
However, crime and dumping are married issues
and symptoms of the same disease- decreased
opportunity and pride. In Figure 24, areas
without reported crime (pink dots) rarely include
reported dumping (red dots). A potential area of
investigation would be to explore the areas of
high crime without reported dumping to
determine if these areas are free of the problem
or are simply not reporting it. For example, West
End has a high crime rate and high dumping
based on experiential observations but
experiences low reporting.

31. 30
Figure24Mapillustratesselectcrimedata(vandalism,theft,robbery,fraud,burglary,autotheft)andillegaldumpingservicerequestsforFY
2014-2015.
CincinnatiCrimeandIllegalDumpingServiceRequests2014-2015

32. 31
OHIO BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
prioritize environmental crimes and attend
training to become subject matter experts.
Police Officers know they can hand over cases
to County Prosecutors who are involved during
the whole life cycle of a case. Although the
ECTF experienced substantial turnover since its
inception, the program has grown stronger.
ECTF will be looking to expand its collaboration
with others in the future. This could include
partnerships with other municipalities, state
agencies, and police departments.
At the time of the creation of the ECTF, in 1992,
there were 42 active dumpsites in Franklin
County. Within just a few years, those 42 sites
had been eliminated. The ECTF approach of
thorough investigation and prosecution forced
dumpers to find smaller less convenient sites
with a much higher risk of getting caught.
New sites are recognized through monitoring
and reporting. All complaints are investigated.
Cases that are prosecuted are usually cleaned
up and eliminated within weeks. When dump
sites or dumpers are spotted, citizens are asked
to report using the ECTF’s website
(http://www.itsacrime.org/) or by phone at (614)
871-5322. This website also includes an easy-
to-use, simple, and highly visual list of where to
take different items in the County for disposal
including batteries, tires, and hazardous waste.
Yard waste, recycling, and household
hazardous waste disposal are offered without
direct charge for citizens of the County by
SWACO.
Since the USEPA just began an in-depth study
on how Midwestern cities handle illegal dumping,
this section only focuses on Columbus, Dayton,
and Cleveland area programs briefly.
Franklin County (Central Ohio)
Founded in 1992, the Environmental Crimes
Task Force (ECTF) of Central Ohio is funded by
The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio
(SWACO) at about $500,000 a year and
operated in partnership with the City of
Columbus, Franklin County Sheriff’s Department,
Franklin County Public Health, and the Franklin
County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
The main ECTF representatives include six
individuals: two Franklin County Sheriff Deputies,
an Assistant Franklin County Prosecuting
Attorney, one part-time Franklin county Public
Health Inspector, one part-time county Public
Health Administrator, and one City of Columbus
Solid Waste Inspector. Four of the six
representatives investigate and the two deputies
are divided geographically to make arrests. The
Task Force has a scheduled monthly meeting
and weekly check-in, but also meet as needed.
One of the most beneficial ways members check
in with each other is at their shared work space.
Open collaborative communication channels
ensure all players are informed about proper
protocol and can work to solve problems as they
arise or prevent them in the first place. Another
important element of the program is partially
funding Prosecutor and Inspector positions from
the ECTF fund. This allows personnel to

33. 32
Montgomery County (Dayton)
created a three prong approach for addressing
them: enforcement, education, and action.
Efforts are funded through district landfill tipping
(disposal) fees, a funding mechanism enabled
by House Bill 592 in 1988.
The Sheriff’s Department hired a Deputy Sheriff
dedicated to dumping who then collaborated
with Police Chiefs to train Police Departments
during their roll-call on how to identify and
handle illegal transporters of tires and more
dumping-related crimes. This Sheriff also built
strong cases for the courts while educating
prosecutors and judges on the importance of
successful prosecution. Furthermore, they
increased education and outreach through Keep
Montgomery County Beautiful.
As of May, 2015 over 90 illegal dump-sites have
been cleaned up by convicted dumpers ordered
to do so as part of their sentence. Felonious
dumpers may receive up to four years in prison
and $25,000 in fines. In one case, someone
hauling more than ten tires was required to pay
$10,000 in penalties, fines, and court costs.
Since 2013, Montgomery County successfully
made over 60 convictions for dumping, most of
which were related to tires. Also, Montgomery
County residents may also dispose of 10 tires a
year at the facility.
About three years ago Montgomery County
identified the dumping of tires as a serious
problem which spurred the creation of an
Environmental Crimes Task Force modeled off
Franklin County’s program. Their team received
training from the Franklin County Task Force
which pioneered this movement in Ohio with
cases like successfully sentencing a repeat
scrap tire transporter to seven years jail time.
Montgomery’s Task Force is comprised of the
County Sheriff’s Dept. and Montgomery SWMD
as well as representatives from the EPA, Health
Department, and jurisdictions with serious
dumping problems.
This Task Force identified a lack of education
within the government and public as a key driver
of the problem. Citizens were confused on
where to bring their waste materials,
misinformed about how much disposal costs,
and uninformed about punishment severity.
Public employees within Police Departments,
the Legal system, and more were not fully aware
of the depth of this problem and their role in
stopping it. Concerns about penalizing those
without funds to dispose of their waste properly
in the first place and sending more citizens to jail
worried Prosecutors and thus environmental
crimes were historically not prioritized. After the
Task Force identified these concerns, they

34. 33
Cuyahoga County (Cleveland)
Figure 25 Large suspected illegal dump site identified by Cleveland’s task
force and covered by Ron Regan at local Cleveland ABC news station.
Since the Task Force cracked down on tires, the
problem has shifted to construction debris and
household goods, usually dumped by landlords
after evictions. Police Officers found most
people pulled over for illegally transporting or
dumping have a criminal record and many have
warrants out for their arrest already.
Installing deer cameras at dumping hotspots
helped increase monitoring. Utilizing inmate
labor for clean-up assistance also helped pump
up coverage of this Task Force. One of the most
important strategies was launching a multi-
media communication and education strategy.
As part of this communication strategy, the team
used Billboards, door hangers, and flyers. In
order to inform landlords about proper practices
during eviction, the Task Force mailed handouts
to their tax addresses. They also implemented
creative solutions like adding disposal options/
costs on MRF receipts and partnering with the
local baseball team, the Dayton Dragons for
clean-ups. Engaging citizens through classroom
and community group visits also helped reach a
wide range of citizens. Lastly, partnerships with
news stations help get more coverage on
dumping. Stories usually emphasize
punishments as well as before/ after photos.
Dumping was also identified as a threat to
community health and quality of life in Cleveland
within the last few years. Cleveland police
moved dumping from a priority 4 to priority 2,
one level below a man with a gun. They
implemented a program encouraging those who
see dumpers in action to report details about the
vehicle, perpetrator, location, and time to the
number 664-DUMP (3867).
Reporters are rewarded with an amount equal to
half of the fine which is collected by the City if
their report is used to identify and convict a
perpetrator. A misdemeanor under Cleveland
Municipal Code may result in a maximum
penalty of six months in jail and a fine no more
than $1,000, however, felonies result in a
$25,000 fine and four years in prison. In 1997
the illegal dumping fine was only $100.

35. 34
STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS
Figure 26 Chronic dumpsite photo captured by KCB.
Blight remediation of which illegal dumping is
one component, is not just about minimizing
threats, but also about enhancing and protecting
Cincinnati’s many assets. Solutions suggested
in the following chart are a collection of
recommendations from a wealth of
conversations with stakeholders from many
walks of life. Collaboration between
municipalities, departments, industry groups,
non-profits, communities, media, and more will
be required to start abating the dumping issue.
After reading this report, the magnitude of this
problem should be apparent and stakeholders
will have new data to share with key leaders.
The main categories outlined by stakeholders
are Partnerships (internal and external to public
sector), Education/ Outreach, Process/ Policy
Improvement, Enforcement/ Prosecution, and
Economics. Within the category of external
partnerships, special emphasis should be given
to developing collaborative relationships with
landlords in problem areas. The creation of an
Environmental Crimes Task Force would reduce
confusion for citizens and public employees
which is partially produced by split jurisdiction on
dumping between the City and County. As
proven by other major municipalities in Ohio,
coordinated, efficient, and effective action will
also require agenda setting prioritization of the
issue from City, County, and community leaders.
Furthermore, developing a separate funding
source for Environmental Crime investigation
and prosecution is critical for environmental
crimes to survive case load triage.
Furthermore, citizens must be engaged in the
issue and begin to take ownership of their
communities and the problems they face. These
trends will reverse the downward cyclical pattern
of blight into an upward pattern of pride.
Community engagement is key to minimizing
dumping, crime, and blight while increasing
connectivity to each other and their streets.
Together, the entire County can transition from a
reactive system lacking ‘teeth’ to a proactive
approach strengthening the entire region’s
economic, social, and ecological vitality. A
holistic approach is required, acting on just one
or two of these ideas will have a minimal impact.

36. 35
Solutions Proposed by Stakeholders * = more details after chart
Partnerships
Internal:
Problem Solution Potential Barriers
Improper disposal of
bed bug
contamination leads
to further spread and
dumping
Partner with Health Department to educate on proper
disposal of contaminated items. Saran wrap not
required but must destroy contaminated items (i.e.
slash couch/ mattress, break legs off char).
Landlords must be on
board
People may not act
rationally during actual or
suspected outbreak
External:
Lacking clean-up
personnel
Expand PLAP program. Staff required to organize
volunteers
Quality items are
dumped or
scheduled for bulk
pick-up and sent to
landfill
Partner with Goodwill Industries, Habitat’s ReStore, and
other charitable organization to divert these materials. *
Requires prioritization and
collaboration from
University administrators
Landlord relations
strained
Strengthen partnerships with landlord organizations. Landlords may be unwilling
Education & Outreach *
Problem Solution Potential Barriers
Suboptimal youth
engagement on
illegal dumping
Partner with schools and youth programs for increased
education on litter through KCB. Recruit youth groups
for PLAP program so they understand the problem and
that they can be part of the solution. Consider sending
in NOD personnel (i.e. Jude Johnson) for programming.
Sending in DPS
employees may be difficult
due to understaffing
Funding limitations
Reporting options
confusion
Develop communication strategy for increasing
awareness about reporting options (internet, phone,
app) through a myriad of channels. *
Funding limitations
No communication team
for DPS
Confusion as to
options for proper
disposal
Develop communication strategy for educating about
disposal options (internet, phone, app) through a
myriad of channels. *
May be difficult to
effectively reach and
impact dumpers

37. 36
Educate landlords
about disposal
options and
punishments for
dumping
Email/ Mail handouts to registered landlords and spread
information through industry groups detailing how to
dispose of items in general and after evictions. Clarify
the responsibilities of the City and property owners for
complexes with less than and more than 5 units.
No communication team
for DPS
Funding
May not impact select few
in violation
Many tire scrappers
transport, buy, and
sell tires illegally
Send informational letters to small businesses selling
tires in the City to ensure they understand protocol and
are aware they may be held responsible for selling to
an unlicensed transporter.
May prove ineffective
without increased
enforcement
Process & Policy Improvement
Problem Solution Potential Barriers
Citation isn’t
educational tool
Change citation to include information about alternative
options for responsible disposal and the maximum
penalties (at the state-level) for dumping. Citation
should also be revised to ensure clarity.
Dumpers may not use
information
Space on citation limited
25% of CSR calls
relate to scheduling
bulk-item pick-up
which blocks phone
lines, increases drop
rate
Work with CAGIS to create bulk pick up scheduling
options through internet and GPS- enabled app.
Consider adding information about how they can
donate to Goodwill, ReStore, etc. on this request just in
case resident has usable item.
Developing efficient
technical capability may
prove challenging and
time-intensive
Call Center intake
for dumping/ litter
reporting produces
poor quality data
Update CSR intake system for Call Center to reflect
changes to App pertaining to the addition of dumping
and litter multiple choice reporting options.
Logistics
Multiple definitions
for dumping and
littering lead to
confusion and
inefficiency
Departments should collaboratively create one
definition so everyone is ‘speaking the same language’.
Definition should be developed by Task Force.
Each Department has logic
behind their definition
Changes may impact work
flow
Tenants and
landlords of
apartment buildings
with over 4 units and
are not all paying to
dispose of waste
properly.
Expand bulk pick-up and trash collections services to
apartments with over 4 units for a fee or go to Council
about setting aside money in the budget to offer this
service.
Those already dumping
illegally won’t pay
Increased cost and service
burden on DPS

38. 37
Easy access to
dumping sites.
Create protocol for blocking sites. Fence/ barricade
abandoned lots, unused alleys, vacant structures, and
other high dump sites after clean-up.
Funding/ staff
Property rights
Continue to update
DPS reporting
options via the app,
website, and phone.
Clarify differences between litter and dumping for users
reporting issues through the CSR system.
Create intake questions which accurately clarify if issue
is dumping or failure to maintain property free of litter.
Personnel
Wrong classification
of public/ private
land during reporting
leads to decreased
abatement
efficiency.
Program app to suggest to citizens whether their
address (GPS identified or typed in) is on private or
public property.
Logistics
Evictions sent to
DPS every morning
but little follow-
through from DPS.
Streamline eviction reporting process from County
Municipal Courts to DPS on new app LWCE is
developing so Officers have eviction list integrated into
route to check up on.
Logistics
Enforcement & Prosecution
Problem Solution Potential Barriers
Weak
communication
channels between
bureaucratic levels.
Create collaborative Task Force which includes a two
prong approach. OEPA, City, and County staff directly
involved in investigating, prosecuting, and abating
dumping will serve as the right arm. The left arm will
focus on community outreach/ education and include
staff from City and County government, community
organizations, and the private sector. Shared
workspace and a separate funding source are critical.
Training offered to Cincinnati/ Hamilton County by
Franklin County and Montgomery County Task Forces.
Funding
Staffing
CPD not trained on
dumping protocol,
citations, and value.
Need training for PD developed collaboratively with
CPD, DPS, KCB, and more. Training should be
delivered from internal parties. However, training is
ineffective without prosecution prioritization.
Insufficient inclusion of
CPD in development of
training may decrease buy-
in and Officer prioritization
CPD reactive and
low intel on
dumping.
Provide dumping hotspot data based on SRs to DPS
Districts every 6 months in order for CPD to be
proactive on issue.
Staff time
Prioritization

39. 38
LWCE Officers send
citation fine to wrong
parties.
Integrate LWCE system with registered vacant/
foreclosed data base including responsible party
(service provider, bank, etc.) for the property in which
the citation should be sent.
Logistics
No Dumping
focused law
enforcement
personnel.
Create Sheriff, Police Office, or Code Enforcement
position dedicated to dumping investigations. Salary
should be funded in part or totally from Environmental
Crimes funding pool in order to ensure prioritization.
Funding
Prioritization
Lack of ‘example’
cases successfully
prosecuted.
Share process flow for legal proceedings with all
relevant stakeholders.
Prioritization by County and City leadership.
Increased prosecution may
require separate funding
source
High Drop Rates at
Call Center.
Increase digitalization of CSR process and 411
implementation.
Logistics
Too few cameras in
place to monitor
chronic dumpsites.
Grow KCB’s illegal dumping monitoring program.
Consider investing in solar-powered cameras capable
of sending photos over the cloud. Ask other
departments like CPD if they have unused/ unwatched
cameras which can be utilized to monitor dumping.
Funding
CPD does not
prioritize dumping.
Increase CPD priority level for dumping related crimes. Increase in crime leads to
other priorities
No intervention at
chronic dump sites.
Add mirrors and/ or signs to areas commonly dumped
on with message, ‘Smile, you are being reported! Take
it to the landfill or get fined $2,000. *
Funding
Sign making protocol
Economics
Problem Solution Potential Barriers
Disposal costs of
tires lead to dumping
and the EPA’s tire
cost structure is
ineffective.
Improve existing scrap tire fee system. Since the cost
discourages some residents and tire scrappers from
properly recycling tires, collect the cost of recycling at
the point of purchase. Increase purchase fee to $4 or
more. (Currently, residents must pay an OEPA fee of $1
per tire with new purchase and disposal costs $2 and
$3 per tire.)
Holistic solution will require
time and organizational
capacity building
Changing policy at the
state-level may be out of
scope
Chronic offender
landlords are not
pressured to stop.
Increase fines and declaration of chronic offender
status to landlords. Also promote responsible owner
amnesty program which allows for rebate of abatement
Hard to discern good from
irresponsible landlords

40. 39
costs. Increase rebate from 50 to 100% for non-owner
occupied properties. Requires Council
amendment
Low-income
population may not
have funds to pay
for proper disposal.
Offer a discount for each truck load dropped off by a
low income resident, $10 instead of $20 and/ or 1 free
drop-off per year per person. Partner with Social
Service Agencies.
Private haulers may not
want to provide discount
Funding
Little circular
economy innovation
in City.
Encourage innovation in re-use/ recycling sector with
circular economy ideas through partnerships with
Universities and other entities. Example: Detroit Treads
are sandals made from illegally dumped tires.
Funding
Other
Problem Solution Potential Barriers
NOD lacking
personnel required
for highly successful
Blitz events.
Continue Friday Blitz program and increase staffing at
NOD for enhanced beautification.
Funding
Additional Services:
Just Add More Dumpsters, Right?
DPS considered offering more dumpsters as a
partial solution to this problem of dumping.
Different details were discussed including the
need for constant staffing, access, labor
requirements, hazardous waste contamination,
costs, and more. Also, the OEPA limits year-
round non-transfer station sites to one 40 yard
roll—off. At this time, adding more dumpsters
beyond the Blitz program should not be
prioritized due to these concerns.
Additional services may need to be offered in
order to give people the ability to get rid of their
stuff. However, the concern still remains that
individuals would not use these services if
dumping laws are not enforced and added
disposal options are not free and convenient.
Furthermore, DPS plans to explore the costs
and benefits associated with offering a waste
removal service for landlords which may help
prevent dumping associated with evictions.
Another suggestion separate or married to the
prior, is to start a 24/7 eviction hotline for
landlords about to evict their tenants.

41. 40
Citizen Communication Strategy:
Furthermore, building relationships with local
news anchors now will help get coverage for
high profile cases as enforcement continues.
News stories on PLAP, the Blitz, and other
innovative programs that City is implementing
could also help citizens realize how large the
problem is, how much is costs, and inspire them
to take action in their community. Offering press
releases to news sources would also help
increase coverage.
All citizen-focused communication efforts should
always include an educational component about
what citizens can do about the problem and be
directed at prioritized goals. Objectives of
communication are to help citizens
understand…1) why illegal dumping is a
problem and how much it costs to clean-up, 2)
their options and costs for disposal, 3)Potential
penalties for dumping, 4) their reporting options.
Each of these focuses will be directed at a
certain audience. For example, the highlight of
engagement with youth should not be the
penalties of dumping. On the contrary, a
billboard located in a commonly dumped area
would reach those who may not go to
community meetings or follow DPS on twitter.
DPS needs a comprehensive communication
strategy to address dumping. Partnerships with
community organizations and councils, social
organizations, and religious organizations are
key for effectively launching this campaign.
Reaching out to citizens and entities within
hotspots of dumping should be prioritized since
dumping is not an issue in many neighborhoods.
Also, outreach focused in the warmer months
would be the most efficient use of resources due
to higher rates of dumping. A myriad of methods
should be used in order to reach those out of
mainstream society including:
o Billboards
o Radio
o Social media
o Churches
o Barbershops
o MRF receipts
o Door-to-door
o CDCs
o Kroger
o Schools
o Youth Programs
o Community Councils
o TV/ Youtube commercials
o Busses and bus stops
Student Engagement
In order to inject new creativity and cut costs
associated with a communication campaign,
partnering with universities in the City should be
considered. Creating a competition for students
to develop the best campaign would be a great
learning opportunity for them and help reduce
the burden on DPS. Building a relationship with
news agencies in the City would also help
increase knowledge of this problem,
punishments, and solutions.
Figure 27 ‘Plant Pride, Not Litter’ was Ohio’s 2001
litter prevention and clean-up campaign.

42. 41
The Power of Partnerships:
Dumpsite Signs:
NO
DUMPING
ALLOWED
IF YOU ARE
DUMPING ILLEGALLY,
SMILE FOR THE CAMERA!
SECURITY NOTICE
IF YOU ARE
DUMPING ILLEGALLY,
SMILE FOR THE CAMERA.
You may be charged with $25,000 and up to
4 years in jail for dumping.
Or, you can drive to Rumpke landfill and pay
a min. of $35 per truck load.
Some citizens have posted their own creative
signs to keep dumpers away from chronic
dumpsites in their community. Although this sign
is sometimes effective with or without the
presence of a camera, a more effective
intervention should also include additional
information about potential punishments.
Also, substituting an attached mirror in the same
location of the smiley face on the sign may
prove an effective psychological tool to
discourage dumpers. When potential criminals
see themselves committing an illegal act they
are less likely to go forward with it.
least effective to most effective
Many non-profits focused on community and
economic development are interested in
collaborating with the City to increase citizen
engagement. For example, Price Hill Will (PHW)
is a non-profit with the mission of revitalizing
their neighborhood including E, W, and Lower
Price Hill. Their leadership is concerned illegal
dumping decreased investment and deters
residents from moving to the neighborhood. In
response, PHW helps organize clean-ups and
encourages citizens to report violations through
the City App. When approached about
collaborating on a communication strategy,
they were eager to offer assistance and willing
to facilitate discussion with three Community
Councils of Price Hill. Since Price Hill
communities experience above average
dumping by both reported and experiential data,
this partnership is key to addressing dumping.
The exciting news is that PHW is just one
example of many non-profits interested in
working with the City and citizens to create
cleaner, safer, more thriving streets. Forming
strong partnerships with well-established and
respected community organizations is a key
component to helping increase citizen pride and
ownership of their neighborhood.

43. 42
University Dumping-focused Solutions:
DPS also took note of this problem and
implemented a solution during the 2014-2015
school year. During the move-out period of late
April to early May and move-in period of mid-
August, DPS worked with local landlords to offer
free dumpsters for students. Landlords directed
students to these dumpsters, thus saving them
money and effort while decreasing dumping and
confusion for students. The first run of this
program was successful and DPS plans to
continue. Therefore, the groundwork for further
collaboration has been established.
There are ten colleges and universities within
the borders of Cincinnati the largest of which is
the University of Cincinnati (UC). University-
affiliated dumping is explored in this section
through a mini case study of the neighborhood
CUF. This neighborhood borders the Heights
neighborhood which is home to UC. Proximity to
a large student body brings economic benefit
during the school year, but also has a more
sinister side. Owner occupants of CUF are
concerned illegal set-outs and dumping of
furniture and household goods predominately
during move-in and end of the year move-out
negatively impacts their property values and
community vitality. Within the University
prioritization of this issue has been low on all
levels. Student groups nor the administration
have tried to tackle this issue beyond
volunteering for clean-up events a few times a
year.
CUF community members have taken action,
going door-to-door and educating students
about the City’s rules pertaining to garbage in an
effort to reduce the problem. Community
organizations have also rallied against this
issue, encouraging citizens to report dumping to
the City.
Suggestions may be transferrable to other Universities:
 Educate students about City app and trash protocol through Orientation, email blasts before
move-in/ move-out, and including the information on UC Mobile App/ University website.
 Consider doing door-hanger educational campaign for proper protocol on problem streets.
 Ask Student Senate or other active student groups to mobilize around issue.
 Increase dumping enforcement during move-out.
 Continue to offer DPS extended curbside pick-up services and dumpster service for landlords
during move-in and move-out.
 Work with Landlords:
o Educate about proper practices and heightened enforcement.
o Encourage highlighting the responsibility of tenants to comply with city ordinances
pertaining to trash, litter, and weeds in leases.
o Suggest offering staffed dumpsters on their property during high volume times.
Make Donation Easy
Partner with Goodwill Industries during Move-
Out to provide a free, convenient, and
charitable alternative option to dumping.
Program utilized at Miami U. and Northern
Kentucky U., as well as on the community level
in Blue Ash and more.
Interest has been expressed by Goodwill to
move forward with this suggestion for UC.
Contact Goodwill’s external event manager,
Eric Scott at (513)771-4800 for more details.
Habitat’s ReStore has also expressed
interest in creating Move-Out programs at
UC after launching successful programs at
Miami U and Xavier. Contact Casey Huber
for further details at (513)482-5615.

44. 43
CONCLUSION
What can you do?
 Participate in clean-ups (sign up here).
 Formally through KCB, or informally adopt a
block, street, or park to clean up or organize
clean-ups in your neighborhood.
 Report all dumping and dumpsites you see.
If you aren’t part of the solution, you are
part of the problem. Rally your community
and take ownership of your neighborhood.
Dumping is both a symptom and cause of
cyclical blight strongly tied to low socioeconomic
status. Although a complex problem, this report
is intended to empower stakeholders to
implement impactful solutions. There is no 90
day plan to rid Cincinnati of dumping. But, there
are holistic action-steps we can take as a
community to create a cleaner, healthier, safer,
and more beautiful future.
Imagine Cincinnati in 15 years. Picture driving
through the City’s neighborhoods and reflecting
on the amazing effort to increase citizen
engagement and reduce dumping over a
decade prior. Streets and riverbeds are free of
debris and full of life. Citizens from all
neighborhoods are prideful of their community
and collaborate to keep it clean. Homes are
being restored and the City’s character is more
charming than ever. Together, citizens, policy
makers, developers, public employees, and
activists have the power to make this vision
reality.

45. 44
DEFINITIONS
Disposal: "Disposal" or "Dispose" shall mean the discharge, deposit, dumping, spilling, leaking,
emitting, or placing of any waste material on any land, except if the disposition or placement
constitutes temporary storage or treatment. Disposal shall not mean injection into any land by well or
otherwise, which shall be prohibited on any land in the city. (CMC Sec. 729-1-D)
Garbage: putrescible animal and vegetable wastes resulting from the handling, preparation, cooking
and consumption of food. (CMC Sec. 714-1-G)
Initial Violation: a violation at a property under Section 714-35, 714-37, or 714-39, unless the violation
meets the requirements of a "Subsequent Violation" as defined in Section 714-1-S. (CMC Sec. 714-1-
I)
Litter: garbage, refuse and rubbish, as defined herein, and all other waste material which, if thrown or
deposited as herein prohibited, tends to create a danger to public health, safety and welfare. (CMC
Sec. 714-1-L)
Open Dumping: "Open Dumping" or "Dumping" shall mean the depositing of waste into a body or
stream of water or onto the surface of the ground at a site that is not licensed as a solid waste facility
under Section 3734.05 of the Ohio Revised Code. (CMC Sec. 729-1-O)
Refuse: all putrescible and nonputrescible solid wastes (except body wastes), including garbage,
rubbish, ashes, street cleanings, dead animals, abandoned automobiles and solid market and
industrial wastes. (CMC Sec. 714-1-R)
Rubbish: nonputrescible solid wastes consisting of both combustible and noncombustible wastes,
such as paper, wrappings, dirt, cigarettes, cardboard, tin cans, yard clippings, leaves, wood, glass,
bedding, crockery and similar materials. (CMC Sec. 714-1-R1)
Scrap Tire: Any unwanted or discarded tire, regardless of size, that has been removed from its
original use. (HCRSWD)
Yard Trimmings: Also referred to as yard waste. Includes any unwanted grass clippings, leaves,
brush, or wood resulting from residential yard maintenance. (HCRSWD)

46. 45
KEY CONTACTS
Industry/ Business:
 Bill Burwinkel
 Charles Tassell
 Larry Riddle (Rumpke)
 Eric Scott (Goodwill)
 Ross Meyers (United Way)
 Casey Huber (Habitat for Humanity ReStore)
Community Leaders:
 Ken Smith (Price Hill Will)
 Kevin Wright (Walnut Hills)
 Sara Sheets (Madisonville)
 Patricia Garry (Community Development
Corporations Association of Greater
Cincinnati)
 Cherie Hill-Wallpe (CUF)
 H.A. Musser (Santa Maria Community
Services)
 Danny Klingler (OTR A.D.O.P.T.)
 Matt Bourgeois (Clifton Heights)
CPD:
 Sergeant DeMeco Anderson
 Officer Jennifer Dawson
 Beth Christenson
 Lieutenant Joe Milek
DPS:
 Gerald Checco (Director)
 Maraskeshia Smith (Deputy Director)
 Tracy Grome (LWCE)
 Bill Jacoby (LWCE)
 Robert Armacost (NOD Accountant))
 Maria Menke-Sunderhaus. (Accountant)
 Jude Johnson (NOD, Blitz)
 Cheryl Twitty (NOD)
 Jerry Wilkerson (Superintendent, NOD)
 Damon Ulmer (NOD)
City Staff:
 Leigh Tami (Office of Performance and Data
Analytics)
 Raj Chundur (CAGIS)
 James Stanforth (CAGIS)
 Sue Magness (DE&S)
 Paul Klug (Building Code Enforcement)
 James Brunner (Building Code Enforcement)
Cincinnati Prosecutor’s Office:
 Heidi Rosales
 Jessica Powell
 Keith Forman
Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office:
 Nee Fong Chin
Hamilton County Recycling & SWD:
 Holly Christmann
 Michelle Balz
Hamilton County Public Health Dept. WM Unit:
 Chuck DeJonckheere
Municipal court Bailiff’s Office:
 Mike Wolf
KCB:
 Linda Holterhoff (Executive Director)
 Adam Curry
 Drew Goebel
EPA:
 Tracy Buchanan (SW Ohio)
 Jon Grosshans
Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney's Office:
 Heather Robinson (Director of Environmental Crimes
Unit and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney)
SWACO:
 Kyle O’Keefe (Director of Innovation and Programs)
 Kristi Higginbotham (Outreach and Programs Manager)
Keep Montgomery County Beautiful:
 Brian Fowls
Montgomery County Environmental Services
 John Woodman
Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department:
 Deputy Dingee (Environmental Crimes Officer)

47. 46
ADDITIONAL DATA
Solid Waste Collection DPS

48. 47
Illegal dumping Service Request Seasonality Graph and Chart:
JanFebMarAprMayJuneJulyAugSeptOctNovDecTotal
2010421416814815235293
2011113148293736157141143246
2012533954443830553231232639464
2013293052737485692925332117537
201437619611874691178667596147892
2015513565725864855551643547682

49. 48
RESOURCES
What Goes Where?
*List from HCRSWD website and refined for Cincinnati residents.
 http://www.hamiltoncountyrecycles.org/index.php?page=recycling-outlets
 http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/public-services/garbage-yard-waste/
Construction Waste:
Home Depot or Lowe’s through Waste Management’s Bagster Program
Purchase a bag online or at the store, fill it with your construction waste, and schedule a collection online or over the
phone through Waste Management.
Hafner C & D
5445 Wooster Pike
Cincinnati, Ohio 45226
513-321-1895
$50.85 for residential pick-up truck load; no minimum charge
Rumpke Landfill
3800 Struble Rd.
Cincinnati, OH 45251
$35 minimum charge for 3 cubic yards or less and $12 a yard extra beyond that
Newtown Fill
7960 Main Street
Newtown, Ohio 45244
513-271-8540
$50 for residential pick-up truck, car, van, SUV load; no minimum charge
Yard Waste (free):
Ohio Mulch
Cincinnati residents may drop off yard waste including brush, branches, leaves, grass trimmings, and logs (up to 12 in. in
diameter and cut to 6 feet in length) for free at any of Ohio Mulch’s 5 locations during normal business hours of 8am - 7pm
M-Sat and 10am - 5pm on Sunday. No trash, sod, soil, rocks, or construction debris accepted. Call 513-677-2066 with
questions.

50. 49
Cincinnati Curbside Services:
Yard Waste
DPS collects curbside yard waste every other week on the same schedule as recycling. (Residential)
Recycling
Collected on same day as trash, every other week. Rumpke Recycling will collect the materials from your bin
between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. (Residential and Commercial)
Trash/ Landfill
DPS collects City of Cincinnati approved bins every week on the same day. (Residential)
Recycling Drop-Off Sites (free):
City of Cincinnati — College Hill
6128 Hamilton Avenue at North Bend Road (behind the coffee shop)
Cincinnati, OH 45224
Corryville
250 William Howard Taft Road (in back parking lot – enter off of Highland Ave.)
Cincinnati, OH 45219
Downtown Cincinnati
-Findlay Market 1819 Race Street
-Parking area located at the corner of Cutter & W. Court Street)
-Parking area located at Third and Butler Streets
-Parking area located at Third Street and Central Avenue
-Parking area located at Seventh and Vine Streets
-The Hamilton County Public Library near the library book return at Ninth Street between Vine Street & Walnut Street
North Avondale
617 Clinton Springs
Cincinnati, OH 45229
Northside
Bulding Value — A building reuse store
4040 Spring Grove Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45223
Open: M - F 8 am - 6 pm and SA 8 am - 4 pm
Springfield Township Civic Complex
9150 Winton Road
Cincinnati, OH 45231
Springfield Township at Stephanie Hummer Park
661 North Bend Road
Cincinnati, OH 45224
Springfield Township at the Grove & Senior Center
9158 Winton Road
Cincinnati, OH 45231
Springfield Township at Clifford George Park
1615 Forrester Drive at Mill Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45240

51. 50
Anderson Township Operations Center/Fire Department
7954 Beechmont Avenue (near the Park & Ride)
Cincinnati, OH 45255
Alms Park
710 Tusculum Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45226
Schmidt Field
150 St. Peter (off of Eastern Avenue)
Cincinnati, OH 45226
Vacant Foreclosed Residential Property Registration Link:
http://cagismaps.hamilton-co.org/cincinnatiServices/VacantForeclosedRegistration/
City of Cincinnati Waste Fine Structure (to date):

52. 51
Friday Blitz Schedule:

53. 52

54. 53
City Code:
City of Cincinnati Municipal Code Sec. 1123-9. - Maintenance Obligations of Mortgagees
During the period that the property is registered, the mortgagee shall have the obligations set forth in this section.
a. Vacant, foreclosed property shall be maintained free of all outward appearances of foreclosure and vacancy
during the registration period including:
(1)No signs or placards on the exterior of the building or in the windows indicating that the property is
vacant or foreclosed;
(2)Grass shall be no higher than 10 inches at any time and all noxious weeds shall be removed;
(3)The premises shall be maintained free of debris and litter;
(4)The premises shall remain secure and locked. Broken windows and doors which are visible from the
right-of-way may be covered with plywood or similar boarding material on an emergency basis, but for no
more than ten (10) business days, while arrangements are being made to replace broken glass or broken
parts of the existing windows and doors
(5)Windows and doors which are visible from the right-of-way may not be boarded and shall be
maintained in good repair;
(6)Handbills, circulars, and advertisements shall be removed from porches and yards in a timely manner;
(7)Standing water on the premises, including but not limited to standing water in swimming pools, shall be
eliminated.
City of Cincinnati Municipal Code Sec. 729-30. - Dumping Prohibited.
(a) As used in this section, "vehicle" shall include but not be limited to a car, truck, trailer, semitrailer, or pole
trailer.
(b) No person shall dump or otherwise dispose of waste, including acceptable waste, unacceptable waste,
commercial waste or yard waste materials, by use of any vehicle on any public or private property. Any owner of a
vehicle who permits or employs another person to use the vehicle and who knows or should have known through
due diligence that the vehicle will be used for the purpose described in this division violates this subsection.
(c) Whoever violates subsection 729-30(b) shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree or commits a Class
E Civil Offense.
(d) Notwithstanding any other penalty authorized by this section, if the city manager, the city manager's designee
or the director of public services ascertains that a person has violated this section, the director of public services
may remove the waste and the city solicitor may take any legal action necessary to collect the cost of the removal
from the violator.
(e) This section shall not apply to land being used under a City of Cincinnati building or construction permit or
license, a City of Cincinnati permit or license or a conditional zoning permit or variance to operate a junk yard,
scrap metal processing facility or similar business, or a permit or license issued pursuant to Chapter 3734,
Section 4737.05 to 4737.12, or Chapter 6111 of the Ohio Revised Code.
(Ord. No. 311-2014, § 10, eff. Dec. 5, 2014)
City of Cincinnati Municipal Code Sec. 729-93. - Special Collection.
The director of public services may offer special collection of acceptable waste, including without limitation bulk
refuse, in addition to regularly scheduled waste collection and may establish the conditions pursuant to which
such special collection may be made.
To request a special collection of bulk refuse, the owner of or person responsible for the bulk refuse must call the
city for a determination that the bulk refuse qualifies for special collection prior to placing bulk refuse at the curb

55. 54
for collection. If the bulk refuse is eligible for special collection, the city will make an appointment for the collection
of the bulk refuse. The bulk refuse must be placed at the curb no earlier than 5:00 p.m. on the day preceding the
scheduled collection and no later than 6:00 a.m. on the day of collection. The bulk refuse must be placed
separate from, and must not be co-mingled with, any items that are not bulk refuse.
(Ordained by Ord. No. 54-2003, eff. 4-4-03, r. Ord. No. 128-2003, eff. 4-30-03; ordained by Ord. No. 463-2012, §
4, eff. Oct. 7, 2013)
City of Cincinnati Municipal Code Sec. 714-11. - Duty to Keep Sidewalks Free of Litter.
No person owning or occupying a place of business shall sweep into or deposit in any gutter, street or other public
place within the city the accumulation of litter from any building or lot or from any public or private sidewalk or
driveway. Any person, being the owner, agent, lessee, occupant or person otherwise in charge or control of any
premises abutting a city street, shall, after notification by a police officer, remove, with reasonable promptness,
from the sidewalk area along such premises, all debris, rubbish, litter and other matter which may at any time
accumulate or be deposited thereon from any cause whatever.
City of Cincinnati Municipal Code Sec. 729-1-B. - Bulk Refuse.
"Bulk refuse" shall mean acceptable waste that requires special collection arrangements due to size, weight, or
shape. Bulk refuse is individual items that weigh more than 40 pounds, exceed 48 inches in length, or exceed 100
inches in overall dimension (the total of length plus width plus depth), which cannot reasonably be divided or
disassembled into smaller items. Bulk refuse is not a large container filled with smaller items or a large pile of
small items, and these items are not eligible for collection pursuant to Section 729-93.
(Ordained by Ord. No. 463-2012, § 4, eff. Oct. 7, 2013)
City of Cincinnati Municipal Code Sec. 714-13. - Littering by Operators and Occupants of Motor Vehicles.
(a) No operator or occupant of a motor vehicle shall, regardless of intent, throw, drop, discard or deposit litter from
any motor vehicle in operation upon any street, road, or highway, except into a litter receptacle in a manner that
prevents its being carried away or deposited by the elements.
(b) No operator of a motor vehicle in operation upon any street, road, or highway shall allow litter to be thrown,
dropped, discarded, or deposited from the motor vehicle, except into a litter receptacle in a manner that prevents
its being carried away or deposited by the elements.
(c) As used in this section, "litter" means garbage, trash, waste, rubbish, ashes, cans, bottles, wire, paper,
cartons, boxes, automobile parts, furniture, glass, or anything else of an unsightly or unsanitary nature.
City of Cincinnati Municipal Code Sec. 729-71. - Personal Property Left or Abandoned on Streets and Sidewalks.
Personal property shall not be abandoned or allowed to remain upon public streets or sidewalks by reason of
eviction or otherwise. Such personal property shall be considered waste or litter if it is not immediately removed
by its owner and shall be subject to enforcement of any other applicable provisions of this code. The city of
Cincinnati may collect such property as a special collection provided such property meets the requirements of
Section 729-93.
The city of Cincinnati shall not assume any liability of any type for any personal property, either abandoned on the
street or sidewalk, or disposed of as provided above.
City of Cincinnati Municipal Code Sec. 714-11. - Duty to Keep Sidewalks Free of Litter.
No person owning or occupying a place of business shall sweep into or deposit in any gutter, street or other public
place within the city the accumulation of litter from any building or lot or from any public or private sidewalk or
driveway. Any person, being the owner, agent, lessee, occupant or person otherwise in charge or control of any
premises abutting a city street, shall, after notification by a police officer, remove, with reasonable promptness, from
the sidewalk area along such premises, all debris, rubbish, litter and other matter which may at any time accumulate
or be deposited thereon from any cause whatever.
(Sec. 759-11; ordained by Ord. No. 119-1971, eff. Apr. 30, 1971; renumbered to C.M.C. 714-11, eff. Jan. 1, 1972)
Cross reference— Penalty, § 714-99, 714-99-A.