Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Soil Dumping
I'm slowly converting my tiny suburban back area into a garden.
Progress is slowed because of a chronic problem of landscapers dumping unused overburden on it. I understand why, because our local landfill charges $200 a yard to dump the stuff. (Ask Me How I Know This.) I shovel and vacuum the dirt up off the clay, but a month later, I'm gifted with another half-a-yard of fill dirt, neatly distributed over the surface and pushed into the crawlspace under an outbuilding. Every week for the last decade, I've filled my garbage can full of this soil but the amount in the back yard is a constant, not a variable. The next larger trash can would cost me an additional $30 a month, which I don't have to spare. I have a Freecycle ad offering this clean fill but I have no takers. How would you solve this problem? Thanks! --Winston |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Soil Dumping
|
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Soil Dumping
David E. Ross wrote:
(...) If you really own the property, the dumping you describe is most likely illegal. Well, you are right, there. You need to identify the source accurately, taking photos or even a video. Then file a police complaint, not only for dumping but also for trespassing. You might also consider a civil lawsuit against the dumper. I don't understand. If I give money to a lawyer, how would that limit the amount of extra soil left on my property? I know very little about the law, but I've never seen a lawyer knowingly use a shovel in a moral and honest manner. You do understand that the three individuals involved all know where I live, yes? The police in my area are busy dealing with murder, home invasions, arson, robbery (serious stuff). As painful as this nuisance is, I'm not interested in being the victim of a crime that the police would find noteworthy. --Winston |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Soil Dumping
|
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Soil Dumping
" writes:
I'm slowly converting my tiny suburban back area into a garden. Progress is slowed because of a chronic problem of landscapers dumping unused overburden on it. Are these landscapers you've asked to come and work on your property? I understand why, because our local landfill charges $200 a yard to dump the stuff. (Ask Me How I Know This.) I shovel and vacuum the dirt up off the clay, but a month later, I'm gifted with another half-a-yard of fill dirt, neatly distributed over the surface and pushed into the crawlspace under an outbuilding. Every week for the last decade, I've filled my garbage can full of this soil but the amount in the back yard is a constant, not a variable. The next larger trash can would cost me an additional $30 a month, which I don't have to spare. I have a Freecycle ad offering this clean fill but I have no takers. How would you solve this problem? The rest of your post makes no sense to me. Are these your landscapers doing something you don't like or some random landscapers illegally dumping soil on your land? Or are you just having us on? -- Dan Espen |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Soil Dumping
|
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Soil Dumping
|
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Soil Dumping
|
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Soil Dumping
Frank wrote:
(...) Don't know where you live but there are other authorities besides police. Violation of county codes here can result in a fine by a county inspector for example. Also here, a small civil suit can be brought before a magistrate without using a lawyer. Years ago I successfully sued the Ford motor company for a few thousand dollars in repairs they wanted me to do. First you should identify who is doing it and get proof. I'd set up something like a trail camera that functions in low light. OK. Thank you. --Winston |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
Soil Dumping
David E. Ross wrote:
(...) Even if the police do nothing, you should still file a criminal complaint. You need a copy of the complaint to sue those who are dumping on your property. You can sue in small claims court using the copy of the complaint as part of the evidence. You can also hire an attorney and sue for an amount greater than the small claims limit, not only for actual damages (the cost of removing the dumped dirt) but also for your costs (the attorney's fees), for punitive damages, and for exemplary damages. No, I do not believe in suing at the drop of a hat. In my 70+ years, I have been a plaintiff only once and been sued only once. However, repeated offenses should be punished. If the police will not do anything, a good, solid lawsuit is a great punishment against wrong-doers. Also, having filed a complaint with the police and having good evidence (e.g., photos, videos) might indeed prompt a criminal prosecution, especially if you are not the only victim. Thanks for your insight, David. --Winston |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Soil Dumping
David Hare-Scott wrote:
(...) You describe what is clearly a legal problem but you refuse to consider legal remedies. You know who is doing it but won't take any action against them. What are we to make of this? I begin to suspect trolling for entertainment. These three folks are criminals who have only one reaction to having moral weaknesses pointed out to them. I don't want to be 'reacted against'. This has nothing to do with gardening. Try rec.free.legal.advice or alt.pointless.whining I'm losing all my gardening time recovering from vandalism. Otherwise, my mulching project would be much further along. --Winston |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
Soil Dumping
Dan Espen wrote:
t writes: I'm slowly converting my tiny suburban back area into a garden. Progress is slowed because of a chronic problem of landscapers dumping unused overburden on it. Are these landscapers you've asked to come and work on your property? The guy I'll call Dale was. He and his team did extensive hardscape work. I supplied him with a requirements sheet that specified that the grade at the finish of the project was to be no higher than the grade at the start of the project. I reinforced this verbally a couple times during the project. Dale is not a real good listener. Dale was assisted by a guy I will call Richie, who stared at me and said "I know where to put extra dirt." when I mentioned how disappointed I was that my requirement for an 'existing grade' finish was being ignored. The third guy who I will call Martin did some work for a neighbor over the back fence this week. I had my yard all vacuumed up, with nothing but the cracked adobe showing, ready for me to scoop it out and replace with mulch, again. A couple days after Martin started my neighbor's project, my back yard was under half an inch of powdery gravel once more. I sighed heavily and began shoveling and vacuuming, again. I find it interesting that these donations coincide with landscaper visits (to neighboring properties) to a high degree. I understand why, because our local landfill charges $200 a yard to dump the stuff. (Ask Me How I Know This.) I shovel and vacuum the dirt up off the clay, but a month later, I'm gifted with another half-a-yard of fill dirt, neatly distributed over the surface and pushed into the crawlspace under an outbuilding. Every week for the last decade, I've filled my garbage can full of this soil but the amount in the back yard is a constant, not a variable. The next larger trash can would cost me an additional $30 a month, which I don't have to spare. I have a Freecycle ad offering this clean fill but I have no takers. How would you solve this problem? The rest of your post makes no sense to me. Are these your landscapers doing something you don't like or some random landscapers illegally dumping soil on your land? Both. Or are you just having us on? No. I continue to hope that one of my new friends on rec.gardens will be willing to talk about how they: * Converted dusty gravel into a nutritious mulch * Traded dusty gravel to a pal that needed road base for a paver project * Found that the county would visit and pull up clean fill dirt as a donation on a monthly basis * Or anything that would allow me to actually work on my garden without having all my time wasted cleaning up someone else's mess --Winston |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
Soil Dumping
Kay Lancaster wrote:
On Thu, 02 Aug 2012 07:59:08 -0700, wrote: I'm slowly converting my tiny suburban back area into a garden. Progress is slowed because of a chronic problem of landscapers dumping unused overburden on it. Do you own the land? If so, they're trespassing and you can pursue legal action. Yes, but what then? I'd've given money to a lawyer that I cannot afford, and now I've got a team of sore losers out for blood. I don't believe these criminals will see the error of their ways and never bother me again afterward. Call me pessimistic. For them, trespassing and vandalism is just 'business'. I can imagine what they consider 'retaliation'. I briefly considered labeling my buckets of donated overburden with: "Platinum ore samples. Please do not steal." They would be gone in minutes. --Winston |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
Soil Dumping
" writes:
Dan Espen wrote: t writes: I'm slowly converting my tiny suburban back area into a garden. Progress is slowed because of a chronic problem of landscapers dumping unused overburden on it. Are these landscapers you've asked to come and work on your property? The guy I'll call Dale was. He and his team did extensive hardscape work. I supplied him with a requirements sheet that specified that the grade at the finish of the project was to be no higher than the grade at the start of the project. I reinforced this verbally a couple times during the project. Dale is not a real good listener. Dale was assisted by a guy I will call Richie, who stared at me and said "I know where to put extra dirt." when I mentioned how disappointed I was that my requirement for an 'existing grade' finish was being ignored. Perhaps he was as mystified as I am about why you wanted cracked adobe instead of soil. But if you didn't want the soil you should not have let them put it down. The third guy who I will call Martin did some work for a neighbor over the back fence this week. I had my yard all vacuumed up, with nothing but the cracked adobe showing, ready for me to scoop it out and replace with mulch, again. A couple days after Martin started my neighbor's project, my back yard was under half an inch of powdery gravel once more. I sighed heavily and began shoveling and vacuuming, again. I find it interesting that these donations coincide with landscaper visits (to neighboring properties) to a high degree. A half inch of gravel got over your fence? Did it rain? Are you down hill? If so, put in a barrier (a low wall). Still have no idea what you are trying to do. I understand why, because our local landfill charges $200 a yard to dump the stuff. (Ask Me How I Know This.) I shovel and vacuum the dirt up off the clay, but a month later, I'm gifted with another half-a-yard of fill dirt, neatly distributed over the surface and pushed into the crawlspace under an outbuilding. Every week for the last decade, I've filled my garbage can full of this soil but the amount in the back yard is a constant, not a variable. The next larger trash can would cost me an additional $30 a month, which I don't have to spare. I have a Freecycle ad offering this clean fill but I have no takers. How would you solve this problem? The rest of your post makes no sense to me. Are these your landscapers doing something you don't like or some random landscapers illegally dumping soil on your land? Both. Or are you just having us on? No. I continue to hope that one of my new friends on rec.gardens will be willing to talk about how they: * Converted dusty gravel into a nutritious mulch Mulch is not nutritious. It's not meant to be. * Traded dusty gravel to a pal that needed road base for a paver project * Found that the county would visit and pull up clean fill dirt as a donation on a monthly basis * Or anything that would allow me to actually work on my garden without having all my time wasted cleaning up someone else's mess Still can't figure out how this stuff is getting in your yard from your description. -- Dan Espen |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
L.A. Times Video On Illegals Dumping Trash On Streets and InAlleys (Must Watch) | Gardening | |||
he'll be dumping instead of estimated Garrick until his mood comments altogether | Ponds | |||
Dumping Arbitrary pH | Freshwater Aquaria Plants | |||
Dumping soil on top of grass ??? | Gardening | |||
recommendations for great top soil or soil with perlite? | North Carolina |