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It at least two dumpster sites are retained, as appears possible, we advocate fencing them and allowing dumping only when someone is there to supervise it. That would allow the county to control both who dumps and what they discard.
And, we urge again that the supervisors request stiff penalties for those found violating the dumping and littering laws. As noted previously in this column, littering is a Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and/or 12 months in jail.
Perhaps it’s time for Commonwealth’s Attorney Peter Luke to request the limit for violators. A few $1,000 fines, with suspended jail terms to be served if the individual is found guilty of additional violations, would get the attention of those who refuse to abide by the regulations. Some community service hours, to be spent cleaning up the dumpster sites, might also get the point across while saving the county some money.
These may sound like draconian penalties for what some would consider an insignificant offense. But the offense is perpetrated against all the residents of the county, and its visitors. No one wants to look at the mess at the dumpster sites, much less go there to use them. And, there’s a potential health hazard created by the piles of brush, mattresses and garbage bags as rodents and other pests are drawn there.
Right now, Rappahannock’s dumpsters are a disgrace. They don’t speak well for the county or its residents. If the Huntly dumpster site were transplanted to another locality and we drove past it, what would we think of the residents there — and their attitudes about their county?
What do visitors to Rappahannock think about us as they drive north on Rt. 522?
A change in the way the county addresses the problem of dumping is overdue.
If polite requests and bold-lettered signs don’t get the attention of the stubborn slobs who persist in making a mess, perhaps a swift, hard, expensive kick in the wallet will.
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