TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - There are more than a dozen sites in Leon County where people and businesses have been dumping trash and unwanted items illegally.
The National Forest Service is getting ready for its annual cleanup event tomorrow and wants the public to help crack down on this crime.
We went straight to one site off Aenon Church Road, where it's clearly marked that dumping is prohibited.
But you'll see piles of debris, furniture and trash left on a dirt road in the middle of the Apalachicola National Forest.
This national forest looks more like a landfill. Damaged goods, left behind for officials to clean up.
"To prevent this kind of contamination of the ecosystem," said Susan Blake.
That's Susan Blake with the U.S. Forest Service. She says the dumping means more work for them, costing taxpayers more money.
"Some people may think that they can dump, and nobody notices -- but people do notice and they do report it," said Blake.
Garbage, wood, broken furniture -- it's all here.
"It could be computers, TV screens," said Blake. "We have construction debris dumped by businesses."
But the Leon County Sheriff's Office says it's worried about more.
"The hazmat products that are being disposed of out there, seeping into the ground, getting down into the water table," said Deputy Joseph Humphries.
In 2016, about 20 tons of trash was picked up in Leon County at an annual cleanup event. But, as you can see, there's a lot more trash now and officials say it's a growing problem.
"Despite whatever excuses people have for dumping, there's no excuses for polluting the environment," said Blake.
The punishment for dumping ranges from a hefty fine to imprisonment, the consequences for endangering a natural landscape.
This year's annual cleanup event will be Saturday at 8 a.m. in both Leon and Wakulla counties.
