Board Could Boost Illegal Dumping Fine 2,400%

Illegal dumping in county parks. Photos by Milwaukee County Parks.

Milwaukee County Supervisor Shawn Rolland wants to raise the fine for illegal dumping in Milwaukee County Parks.

Illegal dumping has been a problem in the parks system for many years. With many secluded areas and plenty of space, parks are a ripe target for contractors, landlords and others who want to skirt the fees charged at local dumpsites.

Municipalities struggle with the problem, too. The City of Milwaukee has a $5,000 fine for dumping, as well as a reward for tipsters. Milwaukee County ordinance sets the fine for dumping at $200. Rolland has authored a resolution raising the fine to $5,000, bringing it in line with the city’s fine.

“It’s time to send a message that’s crystal clear: our parks are jewels, not junkyards,” Rolland told Urban Milwaukee. “And if you bring your garbage to our parks instead of your local dump, you’re going to get a painful fine.”

In 2021, parks officials began cataloging instances of illegal dumping throughout the system. They found that much of the dumping is occurring within a few parks in the system, McGovern Park, the Little Menomonee River Parkway and Washington Park are among them.

The problem is tricky to solve. The parks department is already understaffed and the system includes more than 15,000 acres of parkland. Even if the department deployed cameras at the hot-spot parks, it would be difficult to put up enough to catch everything. Department staff have also noticed that when someone gets caught dumping in a specific area the dumping will increase elsewhere.

Since the department began collecting data on the problem, it’s been estimated that staff spends approximately a combined 600 hours a year cleaning up the debris and waste, Peter Bratt, director of operations and skilled trades, told supervisors in May. This adds up to approximately $14,000 a year in labor costs to clean up the illegal dumpsites.

“Our amazing staff should be fixing our playgrounds, benches and trails, not hauling away some jerk’s trash pile in our parks,” Rolland said.

The department is already working to cultivate more park friends groups, which are nonprofit organizations that raise money, advocate for and program a specific park. Department leaders and supervisors have said these groups could be useful in the fight against illegal dumping, putting more eyes on the park and helping residents get involved in reporting the debris and dumping.

According to Bratt, the department is also working with the Milwaukee County Sheriff‘s Office (MCSO) and its park rangers on the problem, including installing more cameras.

Supervisors will consider the fine increase this month.

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