Spring cleaning, summer cleaning – we do it all year long and if we hire someone to take our trash to the landfill, how do we know it actually got there? The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality (PDEQ) investigates hundreds of illegal dumpsites each year and often the trash is from people like you and me who hired someone to dispose of it for us. They took payment and instead of heading for the landfill, they took a different turn and your items ended up dumped in the desert.
Next thing you know, there is a violation notice in your mail and you are being cited by Pima County for improper disposal of solid waste and threatened with a fine if it is not cleaned up quickly! Even if you did not dump the trash, you will be held responsible for cleanup unless you have evidence to prove who did the dumping of your items.
Illegal dumping destroys the beauty of our desert, creates a breeding ground for disease 
carriers, degrades wildlife habitat, endangers children, and impacts air and water quality.
What are the best ways to prevent “2nd hand dumping” from happening?
- Hire someone you know and can trust, or hire a permitted solid waste hauler (list available through PDEQ).
- Know your hauler’s name, address, and phone number.
- Pay by check and get a receipt from the hauler.
- Make arrangements to pay the hauler half of the fee up front and the balance upon return with a dated landfill receipt.
By using a reputable solid waste hauler, you will help protect water quality and the beauty of the desert by reducing the number of illegal dumpsites in our community. If you see an illegal dumpsite, call the PDEQ Illegal Dumping Hotline 24-hours a day at (520) 622-5800 to report it. For more information on illegal dumping or permitted solid waste haulers, call PDEQ at (520) 724-7400 during business hours.