Program aimed at curbing illegal dumping ends

If you live in Northeast Polk County, you will soon have one less place to get rid of your trash. The county is closing down a pilot convenience center on Bannon Road in Haines City. The goal was to give people an easy place to drop off large items and curb illegal dumping. But as FOX 13's Carla Byron shows us, the problem only got worse, and now the county is looking for a solution. Davenport resident Jennifer Jones says she loves the 25 minute drive to the customer convenience center on Bannon Island Road in Haines City. It's much better than driving 45 minutes to the landfill in Winter Haven. I love to dump. I'm sorry they're closing because we have to drive all the way down there to Castro Road. It was so. Such an inconvenience, so this one is perfect. After the center opened in June, the county decided to end the one-year pilot program early. Despite extensive community outreach, the pilot customer convenience center was just not getting as much traffic as county officials had initially hoped. The center averages about 20 vehicles a day and to date has collected about 900 tons of trash. Polk County officials say these aren't outstanding numbers compared to the landfill, which averages up to 900 vehicles. vehicles a day. The main problem was the center, which required a fee to use, wasn't combating illegal dumping. The very reason the pilot program was created in the first place. In fact, illegal dumping sites in the area increased from 16% to 30%. Sometimes it's not just a convenience thing. It's not just a price thing. Some people just have that mentality that it's okay to do. And how do you touch those people? We're going to have to investigate future ways of doing that. They're trying to find alternative options, which include loosening the restrictions on curbside pickups. But they just should make some places where you can dump, because everyone can't go all the way down to Castro Road. Residents still have until December 31st to use the facility before it closes. In Haines City, Carla Byron, Fox 13 News. By closing the center early, the county says it will save between $200,000 and $300,000 taxpayer dollars.