SPRINGFIELD — The city cleans up tons of refuse left by illegal dumpers each month, but one incident last week was so blatant, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno posted pictures, the name of the suspect and announced: “I’m absolutely pissed off.”
Maybe it was because the accused woman dumped the first load of furniture, televisions, mattresses, construction debris and other trash in the middle of Moxon Street that leads to an apartment complex. Perhaps it was because her visit at about noon on April 10 was followed by a second load dumped at midnight the next day. Or it could be that she doesn’t live in Springfield.
“I’d like to take this stuff and dump it right on her front lawn or her driveway,” Sarno said.
Instead, the city caught the back-to-back violations on camera and identified the alleged violator as Elizabeth Botelho, of Ludlow. Police have now filed a criminal complaint against her for illegal dumping, said Police Officer Tommie Hart, a member of the department’s ordinance unit.
The city had a choice between assessing a fine, which was increased to $500 in December of 2023 in an effort to combat illegal dumping, or filing the criminal complaint in court, which could result in additional fines and penalties, Hart said.
“I hope the courts back us up,” Sarno said. “I hope the costs that were incurred (to clean up the mess) can be recovered.”
The city’s Clean City division of the Parks Department removed the mess the same day of the second dumping. It took the four crew members at least three hours to clean it up and dispose of it. The city was also charged $1,500 to throw it away, said Tom McCarthy, manager of the department.
In total they picked up 1.5 tons of trash from the narrow dirt roadway that abuts a conservation area. The Indian Orchard street, which is now being paved for the first time, is a frequent spot for illegal dumpers, said Thomas Ashe, director of parks, buildings and recreational management.
While this incident is egregious, the city averages 315 illegal dumpings a month in spots across Springfield. This April, there have already been 250 different cleanups compared to last year when there were 226, McCarthy said.
“It’s disappointing, frustrating,” Ashe said. “How someone could fathom dumping that amount of trash, 1.5 tons of trash, on a street…is just appalling. It’s disgusting.”
It is especially outrageous because the trash was dumped it on a spot where people live and drive every day, he said. She didn’t want it on her street or even in her town but felt it was OK to dump it in a Springfield neighborhood, Ashe said.
“It’s wrong and we are going go after them and we are going to keep going after them and we are going to keep putting these cameras where we expect these dumps are going to occur,” Ashe said. “We need the courts to back us up and send a strong signal that it it’s not OK.”
The city has multiple mobile cameras that are strategically placed in locations where frequent dumping takes place. Over the years, the city has caught multiple people unloading trash onto public and private land and has cited or fined them.
Officials declined to say where the cameras are placed. In this case, they captured a pickup truck towing a trailer piled high with trash that helped identify the violator.
Police Superintendent Lawrence Akers offered his sympathy to the residents who live there and said the department’s Ordinance Unit does a good job finding the areas where dumping takes place and identifying the violators.
“This will not be tolerated,” he said. “I don’t understand why anyone would feel the need to come from a different town or city to dump in our city.”
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