ADULT DIAPER DUMPER STRIKES AGAIN

The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office requests your help. Over the last 4 years, the Sheriff’s Office has been investigating intermittent littering cases involving the illegal dumping of used adult diapers, catheters and other care-type products (at one point there were also used syringes involved) in an area bounded by Lumberjack Rd NW (Co Rd 32), Aure Rd NW (Co Rd 24), Grange Rd NW (Co 22), Great Divide Rd NW (Co 26) and Hwy 89 north and west of Bemidji.

To date, no one has witnessed either the vehicle or persons responsible for dumping this trash on the side of the roads. Due to the hazardous nature of these wastes, clean up requires contracting with a firm who has the protective equipment to wear when cleaning up human waste that is rotting in a ditch. In the last 1 ½ years it has cost the county over $1000.00 to hire this cleanup.

On Thursday, March 22, 2012, we received another complaint of adult diaper dumping sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning (March 17-18) during a 12 hour time frame on Grange Rd NW approximately 2 miles west of Hwy 89. Today a new complaint of the same type of trash was reported on Great Divide Rd NW (Co Rd 26) approximately 1/8 of a mile west of Hwy 89.

The irony of this situation is that there is a Waste Management dump site set up for citizens of Beltrami County located in Pinewood (3 miles from the 1st incident). Waste Management Inc. representatives tell us that this type of garbage can be simply disposed of in the canisters provided at that site or others situated throughout the County.

In the interest of being a good citizen we are asking whoever is responsible for this please stops this behavior and do the right thing- take your poopy diapers to the dumpsite. Stop littering in the ditches and costing taxpayers money. People walking their dogs, riding their horses or children riding their bikes and others could stumble into this “crap” and contract infections or suffer other health issues. Any information leading to the arrest of those responsible for illegal dumping is appreciated. Please call 218-333-9111 or email beryl.wernberg@co.beltrami.mn.us with any knowledge you have of this ongoing crime.

Beryl Wernberg, Emergency Management Director/911 Supervisor

Phil Hodapp, Sheriff

Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office