DaQuavion Roston loves living in Westown, where he moved in 2023.
“You can walk to places, ride your bike, or take the bus,” Roston said.
But he’s seen a lot of illegal dumping in his neighborhood – and confronted people a few times.
“It doesn’t do anyone any good when it happens, so I always feel obligated to say something,” Roston said.
Across town in Ward 1, Erika Hood said that the illegal dumping also plagues her community. In her neighborhood, dumpers leave tires, oil, concrete and even dead dogs.
“It is an eyesore,” Hood said. “The site where they are dumping is also a freshwater tributary, so the dumping negatively impacts our drinking water.”
Ed McDonald, a Slavic Village resident, has long tracked illegal dumping in his neighborhood. Tire and furniture dumps, mainly from property cleanouts, have been the most common items he has seen lately. He regularly reports what he sees to the city.
“Repeat sites are my biggest problem,” McDonald said. “It sends a message that we are a dump site.”
Data from Cleveland’s 311 system highlights the scale of the problem. From the East to the West Side, residents file thousands of illegal dumping reports annually. Clevelanders filed more than 5,000 reports in the past year. Now some residents and a Cleveland City Council member are calling for change.
How people can be cited for illegal dumping
Currently, illegal dumping is classified as a criminal offense, requiring police or special enforcement officers to witness and write citations. Under proposed legislation introduced in a council committee on Oct. 12, illegal dumping would become both a civil and criminal violation. Cleveland waste collectors and Public Works employees would be able to issue civil citations if they witnessed illegal dumping.
The Division of Waste would also gain authority to purchase and deploy security cameras in high-volume dumping hotspots. But the legislation proposes increasing the timeframe to pay fines from 20 days to 60 days while lowering fines from $100 to $25 per item.
For now, the Cleveland-Cuyahoga Environmental Crimes Task Force issues most illegal dumping citations. Formed in 2014, the task force investigates illegal dumping using 311 service requests, police reports, Cleveland City Council complaints and surveillance footage. The task force’s core team consists of a detective sergeant, a Cleveland Police detective, and two Cuyahoga County deputy sheriffs.
Task force data shared with Signal Cleveland by Council Member Nikki Hudson shows citations have decreased nearly 50% in the past six years — even while illegal dumping continues.
Sgt. Wilfredo Diaz, public information officer for the Cleveland Division of Police, said not every report results in a citation.
“Each year presents different circumstances, and every illegal dumping investigation is unique,” Diaz said. “The number of citations issued can vary depending on the specific facts of each case, the available evidence, and whether a responsible party can be identified. Citation alone may not fully reflect the scope of the task force’s investigative activity or the challenges associated with investigating illegal dumping. Enforcement action must be supported by sufficient evidence.”
How to report illegal dumping
Diaz said residents who see dumping in progress should record details safely without confronting the offenders and them report them to law enforcement.
“Community involvement is crucial for holding violators accountable,” Diaz said.
How to report illegal dumping? For emergencies (like hazardous waste or dumping in progress), call 911. For non-emergencies, call 216-664-2000 or use the 311 online portal.
Many dumping sites are already cleaned up by the Streets Department by the time suspects are identified, though investigations and prosecutions still proceed when sufficient evidence exists, Diaz added.
Dumpers take advantage of vacant properties
Hudson, the Ward 11 council member, has been vocal about calling for increased enforcement of illegal dumping. She points to a troubling pattern of contractors and businesses taking advantage of vacant properties — often owned by out-of-state landlords — to dump construction debris, brush and tires.
Cleveland’s Ward 11 covers parts of the Old Brooklyn, Cudell, Detroit-Shoreway, Edgewater, and West Boulevard neighborhoods.
Adam Gifford, director of community involvement at the Metro West Community Development Organization, has noticed the same pattern. Metro West covers the Stockyards, Clark-Fulton and Brooklyn Centre neighborhoods.
Metro West communicates weekly with City Council offices, he said, and coordinates regularly with the Department of Public Works for large-scale removals.
The organization’s teams have removed approximately 440,000 pounds of debris since July, Gifford said. The previous year, the organization collected 523,340 pounds of waste, which tends to be equal parts household waste, construction debris and brush.
Roston, the Westown resident, participated in a community cleanup earlier this month.
“We cleaned up a lot, especially in the vacant lots,” Roston said. “People tend to hide things underneath or behind bushes, so they are out of sight. Sometimes, people think it’s the homeless who are doing that, but that’s not always the case.”
Who is dumping in Cleveland neighborhoods
Gifford and Hudson said they have noticed persistent dumping in neighborhoods close to the Ridge Road Transfer Station, especially those that have dense networks of alleys. The Ridge Road Transfer Station, one of nine transfer stations in Cuyahoga County, is located in Ward 11. The station is responsible for unloading trash from collection trucks and loading them onto larger trucks for transport to landfills. The station also accepts bulk items, solid waste, hazardous waste (on select days) and non-hazardous substances. Cleveland residents with a valid ID are allowed to drop off waste at the facility four times a year.
DaQuavion Roston clearing out debris. Credit: Photo Courtesy of Jeon Francis 
Volunteers assessing the scene before cleaning up. Credit: Courtesy of Jeon Franics 
Volunteers collecting loose debris. Credit: Courtesy of Jeon Francis 
Volunteers sorting through debris before preparing for disposal. Credit: Courtesy of Jeon Francis 
Trailer full of debris after the Ward 11 & 12 neighborhood clean-up. Credit: Courtesy of Jeon Francis
Hudson said she thinks people are being turned away from the transfer station, and “they just go somewhere else close by in Ward 11 to dispose of their waste.”
“That’s one reason I think our neighborhood has had to deal with this issue,” she added.
Additionally, Hudson highlighted gaps in accountability, saying there have been instances when businesses caught illegally dumping — such as contractors unloading concrete or tree-trimming waste — were merely required to clean up the site without receiving formal citations or fines.
How to use a transfer station for bulk drop-offs
Terrell Pruitt, the commissioner of the Cleveland Division of Waste Collection and Disposal, told Signal Cleveland that most residents who need to use the transfer station more than four times a year are commercial business owners. They typically have more bulk waste to dispose of than your average resident, he said.
“Sometimes people think they should have more drop-offs because they are business owners, but that’s just not how it works,” Pruitt said. “It’s a very intentional process. If residents feel like they need more bulk drop-offs, they can reach out to us and ask. We review things on a case-by-case basis.”
How to dispose of bulk items: Bulk items include wrapped mattresses, tires, televisions, appliances and furniture with fabric. During bulk pickup week, which usually occurs on the first or second week of the month, Cleveland residents may place three bulk items on the curb for pickup. Residents may contact 311 if they need additional bulk item pickups, Pruitt said. Residents wishing to access the Ridge Road Transfer station must live in Cleveland and must present an ID. There is no set weight limit for drop-offs, but vehicles used to drop off bulk items must be no bigger than a midsize trailer (4×8 feet) and may not be a commercial vehicle.
The power of community
Despite the ongoing challenges, community-led initiatives continue to demonstrate the impact of taking action. Following cleanups along Ward 11’s Desmond Avenue, Hudson watched neighbors step up to independently maintain the space, showing how collective care can inspire long-term momentum.
“It can be contagious in a good way,” Hudson said. “Initial cleanups show people that a difference can be made, and that shared effort leaves everyone with a sense of pride in their neighborhood.”
