Abandoned piles of household garbage, bags of yard waste, discarded appliances, old barrels, used tires and demolition debris can threaten the health of humans, wildlife and the environment. These open dump sites can be found throughout Missouri at the bottom of ravines, in empty lots and pastures and along roadsides. If allowed to remain, they often grow larger and attract more dumping by others.
Open dumps create a public nuisance, divert land from more productive uses and depress the value of surrounding land. They can also pose the following health, safety and environmental threats:
- Fire and explosion
- Injury to children playing in or around the dump site
- Disease carried by mosquitoes, flies and rodents
- Contaminate streams, rivers and lakes
- Contaminate soil and groundwater
- Contaminate drinking water wells
- Damage to plant and wildlife habitats
- Decrease in the quality of life to nearby communities and residents
Causing or allowing open dumping is illegal and may result in substantial penalties.
Report Illegal Dumping
Report open dumping to your local authorities. They can enforce any local laws and ordinances that prohibit open dumping. They can also work with the state to enforce state laws that prohibit dumping. You may also file a complaint with the department by completing our Report an Environmental Concern or Submit a Question online form or contacting the department’s Waste Management Program. Hearing and speech-impaired individuals may reach us through Relay Missouri at 800-735-2966.
The department is committed to investigating citizen reports of illegal dumping. When the department receives the a complaint, it is forwarded to the appropriate regional office for investigation. While not every complaint can be solved quickly, we are committed to investigating promptly and taking appropriate action.
You are encouraged to provide as much information as possible about the dump, including a detailed description and information about its location (county, address, driving directions, etc.). We will also need information about the owner of the property where the dump is located. This information will help speed up our investigation process. You may remain anonymous. We only ask for your identity so we can contact you in case we need more information to investigate your complaint and to provide you with information on the results of our investigation. If you wish to remain anonymous and do not provide enough information, we will be unable to investigate your complaint.