NJDEP Hotline: 1-887-927-6337

Morris County Hotline: 1-888-260-3802

Morris County Department of Law & Public Safety

Basic Illegal Dumping Investigation
Investigative Tips
Record evidence: Record dumping location, nearest cross street, time and date responded. Photograph the site. Photograph and record dumped evidence (for example, the type and volume of waste, likely method of dumping, potential harm to environment, health or property).
Search for evidence: Search the debris for ownership of the waste, such as package labels, invoices, mail with addresses, names or special order numbers, store register receipts with discount membership numbers, transaction or debit information.
Check with area residents/businesses:
Identify and talk to the property owner, area residents or businesses that may have witnessed the illegal activity or recorded it on a security camera.
Decide on clean-up options: Decide whether the waste needs to be cleaned up immediately, if the waste is hazardous or likely to cause significant harm to the environment, people or property, then it should be cleaned up immediately.
Consider the likelihood of others dumping in the same location if the waste is not cleaned up immediately. The property owner may be required to remove the waste that has been dumped on his property and bear the cost of disposal.
Solid Waste Definitions
Bulky waste means large items of solid waste which because of their size or weight require handling other than normally used municipal waste. Bulky waste includes, but is not limited to, such items as tree trunks, auto bodies, demolition or construction materials, appliances, furniture and drums.
Clean Fill means an uncontaminated non-water-soluble, non-decomposable, inert solid, such as rock soil, gravel, concrete, glass and/or clay or ceramic products. Clean fill shall not mean processed or non-processed mixed construction and demolition debris, including, but not limited to, wallboard plaster, wood or metal. The non-water soluble, non-decomposable inert products generated from an approved Class B recycling facility are considered clean fill.
Disposal means the storage, treatment, utilization, processing or final disposition of solid waste, specifically including the discharge, deposit, injection, dumping, spilling, leaking, or placing of any solid waste or hazardous waste into or on any land or water so that such solid waste or hazardous waste or any constituent thereof may enter the environment or be emitted into the air or discharged into any waters, including ground waters.
Disposal Facility means a solid waste facility used for the disposal of solid waste.
Dumped means a land site at which solid waste is disposed of in a manner which does not protect the environment, is susceptible to open burning, or is exposed to the element, vectors and scavengers.
Generator means any person, by site, whose act or process produces waste or recyclable materials, including, but not limited to, used oil, universal waste, or hazardous waste, or whose act first causes a waste or recyclable material to become subject to regulation or separated for collection. For universal wastes, “generator” means any person, by site, whose act or process produces hazardous waste identified or listed in N.J.A.C.7:26G-5 or whose act first causes a hazardous waste to become subject to regulation.
Hazardous Waste means any solid waste or combination of solid waste, including toxic, corrosive, irritating, sensitizing, radioactive, biologically infectious, explosive or flammable solid waste, which poses a present or potential threat to human health, living organisms or the environment, provided that the solid waste is hazardous in accordance with the standards and procedures set forth at N.J.A.C.7:26-8.
Leachate means liquid that has been in contact with solid waste.
Transporter means a person engaged in the act of collecting and/or moving solid waste off site by road, rail, water or air.
Solid Waste is any garbage, refuse, sludge or any other waste material.
Enforcement Action and Penalties
The status of N.J.A.C. 13:1E-9.3 was amended in 2003 by the State Legislature and creates a solid waste disorderly persons offense, which is a useful prosecutorial tool in the area of solid waste enforcement. This section prohibits the collection, transportation or disposal of solid waste in excess of 0.148 cubic yards or 30 U.S. gallons of liquid to or at disposal sites which are not authorized by the DEP to accept solid waste. It is noted that there are also criminal action relative to the transport, treatment, storage or disposal of hazardous waste under N.J.S.A. 13:1E-9(g) and (h), which must be referred to the DEP’s 24-hour hotline number, 1-877-WARNDEP. Hazardous waste enforcement is only handled by the DEP.
Pursuant to N.J.S.A.13:1E-9.4, convicted offenders of N.J.S.A. 13:1D-9.3 are subject to sanctions of:
$2,500.00 for the first offence (mandatory); up to $5,000.00 for a second offense; and up to $10,000.00 for each subsequent offense. Each day during which the violation continues constitutes an additional, separate and distinct offense;
Community service up to 90 days (mandatory);
Loss of driver’s license for six months to one year (mandatory); and
Forfeiture of all conveyances used or intended for use in the unlawful transportation or disposal of solid waste pursuant to N.J.S.A. 13:1E-9.3. The proceeds from the disposal and sale of such conveyances shall be remitted to the chief financial officer of the municipality wherein the violation occurred, to be used by the municipality to help finance enforcement activities undertaken pursuant to N.J.S.A.48:13A-12 or 13:1e-9.3. The process to follow for forfeiture of conveyances is at N.J.S.A.13:1k et seq.
N.J.A.C. 7:26-3.4 (b) All collected solid waste shall be properly deposited at an approved facility in accordance with N.J.A.C.7:26-1 and 2. Solid waste or recyclable materials shall be deposited at a solid waste or recycling facility only to the extent the materials contained in an individual load are waste types and recyclable materials permitted for acceptance at the facility and commingled only to the extent permitted in the operation approvals for the facility.
Base Penalty: $5,000.00
N.J.A.C.7:26-2.8 (f) No person shall begin construction or operation of a solid waste facility without obtaining a SWF Permit unless exempt pursuant to N.J.A.C. 7:26-1.1, 1.7 or 1.8.
Base Penalty: $5,000.00
N.J.A.C.7:26-3.4 (g) All workers or collection crews operating solid waste transportation systems shall take reasonable care to protect the property of customers being served. Any damage or spillage of solid waste as a result of the transporter’s actions shall be his or her responsibility.
Base Penalty: $4,500.00
Emergency Contact Numbers
County of Morris Communication Center to contact local law enforcement/Police Department:
Phone: 973-285-2900
County of Morris Office of Health Management:
Phone: 973-631-5484
County of Morris Haz Mat Response Team:
Phone: 973-285-2900
County of Morris Solid Waste Enforcement Tip-line:
Phone: 1-888-260-3802
N.J.D.E.P. Hotline:
Phone: 1-877-WARN-DEP (1-877-927-6337)
New Jersey State Park Police:
Phone: 908-841-9575
New Jersey Poison Information & Education System: Phone: 1-800-222-1222
County of Morris Park Police:
Phone: 973-285-2951

Morris County Disposal and Recycling Facilities
Morris County Mt. Olive Transfer Station,
7:30 to 3:00 Mon.to Fri. 7:30 to 11:00 Sat.
168 Gold Mine Road, Flanders NJ 07836
Phone: 973-347-8106
Morris County Parsippany Transfer Station,
7:30 to 3:00 Mon to Fri., 7:30 to 11:00 Sat.
1100 Edwards Road, Parsippany, NJ 07054
Phone: 973-808-9651
Morris County Household Hazardous Waste Facility
168 Gold Mine Road, Flanders, NJ 07836
Call for an appointment
Phone: 973-829-8006
ReCommunity Morris Recycling
103-105 Iron Mountain Road, Mine Hill, NJ 07803
Phone: 973-328-7001
MCMUA Camp Pulaski Compost Facility
7:30 to 3:00 Mon. to Fri. Closed Sat.
41 Old Waterloo Road, Mt. Olive Township, NJ 07828
Phone: 973-328-8389
MCMUA Parsippany Compost Facility
7:30 to 3:00 Mon. to Fri. Closed Sat.
500 West Hanover Ave., Parsippany, NJ 07054
Phone: 973-328-8389
View the Morris County Municipal
Utilities Authority’s website for disposal, recycling, reuse markets and opportunities.
www.mcmua.com
For Morris County Health Departments see:
http://morriscountynj.gov/health/public/healthdepts/

PUBLIC HEALTH
Prevent, Promote, Protect

Illegal Dumping
A Guide to
Investigations

Printed May 2016

web: http://www.morrishumanservices.org/health www.morriscountynj.gov/health/ Office of Health Management