Reading, PA – On August 15, 2020, at approximately 10:13 am, a sergeant assigned to the Reading Police Department Patrol Division was conducting a patrol in the area of the Buttonwood Street Bridge, responding to reports of illegal trash dumping. The sergeant located a Ford F-150 underneath the bridge, back into the entrance of the Thun Trail. Upon further investigation, the sergeant was able to determine that two males were attempting to dump several large bags of trash illegally at the location. The garbage was then loaded back into the vehicle, and the owner was issued a citation pursuant to the City of Reading ordinance prohibiting the depositing of litter in a public place. The case is proceeding under due process. In addition to this case, RPD has intervened with at least four other incidents in the past two months; all suspects were issued a citation.
The Reading Police Department and Public Work’s Sustainability & Solid Waste Division are working together as part of the Clean City Initiative to mitigate the illegal trash dumping. In fact, in July 2020, a young male pleaded guilty after video evidence captured him dumping a water heater illegally.
In addition to the RPD surveillance camera system, the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful Camera Loan Program finances cameras to the City’s Sustainability & Solid Waste Division to capture high-quality photos day or night, throughout the City.
Mayor Moran had this to say about his Administration’s strong stance against illegal dumping “The City of Reading strives to be a clean and attractive community for people to live, learn, work, and play. Illegal dumping hurts our community by creating unhealthy spaces, polluting our environment, and discouraging our residents. When people dump their trash illegally, everyone pays –the cost of waste management increases and resources from other important community programs have to be diverted to address this issue.”
The City is asking if anyone is aware of illegal dumping, contact the RPD non-emergency line at
610-655-6116 or call the Citizen’s Service Center at 1- 877-727-3234.
