VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTHI) – Vigo County Commissioners are once again taking a look at the trash problem in the county.
At the Vigo County commissioners meeting on Tuesday, it was suggested that the fine for littering should be raised.
The current fine is $150. The new amount could be as high as $500.
Brent Youngblood is a volunteer with the Society of Trash Baggers.
The group is working to keep the community clean.
Volunteers find items from clothes to couches illegally dumped throughout the county.
"A lot of beer cans, liquor bottles, you name it, we find everything,” Youngblood said.
Commissioners tell us that the trash is costly for the county and community.
"We have an ordinance in place right now. We're seeing a large amount of trash on the roads...What they want to do is put a little more teeth in the ordinance when we catch people. We've got the cameras out right now,” Brad Anderson, president of Vigo County Commissioners, said.
The cameras have helped stop dumping in certain areas but the problem continues.
Dumping may occur at night or during trips to the landfill.
This causes the problem to become challenging to stop.
"Catch them doing it. You have to cite them for it and you have to fine them. If that would happen, within a week or so, the word would get out,” Youngblood said.
County commissioners tell us they are working on adding littering signs through a sign enhancement program.
"It isn't only ugly, and it makes our city look ugly. It's unhealthy. It affects all of us,” Youngblood said.
Youngblood says less litter will support the community as well as the wildlife.
This is still in the early phases of discussion.
It could be a few months before changes to the ordinance are finalized.
