The price of dumping: What it cost to clean up 32 tires at a Placer County park
Thirty-two tires showed up where they definitely didn’t belong: a Placer County park.
The tires were first seen at Traylor Ranch Nature Reserve and Bird Sanctuary in Penryn on Feb. 6, according to Placer County officials. The illegal tires were scattered along the parking lot of the park.
Officials from the county’s Parks, Trails & Open Space Division said it learned of the dumping after seeing a Facebook post; volunteers later contacted the county to report it.
It cost the county $170 to remove the tires, on top of the money spent for the employees to handle the removal.
The county said it was not aware of similar incidents of tire dumping occurring at the park in the past.
Dumping waste in commercial quantities is a misdemeanor under county laws, punishable by up to six months in jail and a mandatory fine.
The fines can range from $1,000 to $3,000 for a first offense. Second offense is $3,000 to $6,000. Third offense or more goes from $6,000 to $10,000.
Residents can report illegal dumping in unincorporated areas on Placer County’s website, placer.ca.gov/3204/Solid-Waste.
