Illegal Dumping
Call 834-DUMP to report illegal dumping in the City of Lakeland
About
Your neighborhood is very important. We want our citizens to feel safe and take pride in the areas where they live. In an effort to help curb illegal dumping in some of our neighborhoods, the City has created a hotline where residents are encouraged to call 863.834.DUMP (3867). Callers reporting illegal dumping will be prompted to one of two existing City Departments, depending on the situation.
Report Dumping In-Action
Residents calling to report illegal dumping in-action because they are witnessing someone leaving refuse at an abandoned property or adding to a roadside pile will be put through to Lakeland Police Department and a police officer will be immediately dispatched to the location.
Report a Pile
When residents discover a pile of trash discarded overnight and they call the hotline, the call will be routed to the City's Code Enforcement Department so staff can further investigate and possibly issue a citation and/or schedule a clean-up by the City’s Division of Solid Waste.
The City has established a $25,000 fund to help pay for swift clean up in the "most extreme" illegal dumping cases. It's critical to remove a pile of debris from the streets immediately so other individuals will not create a larger pile of debris by adding more to it.
Reward:
A small portion of the fund will also be used to provide a monetary reward of up to $250 to individuals whose tips to the City's hotline successfully catch an illegal dumper in progress that leads to an arrest.
The City's Code Enforcement process has been shortened. The grace period given to property owners cited for violations in debris, trash and property condition has been shortened to seven days before penalties and additional actions against the property owner are enforced.
As an effort to curb illegal dumping, the City of Lakeland has increased patrols in high impact areas that experience illegal dumping.
