Illegal dumping is not only unsightly, it's a serious environmental problem that lowers the quality of life for residents and creates a health hazard.

Have you ever been driving down a county road, noticed a pile of trash in a ditch and wished that people wouldn't be so careless? Have you ever wondered if there was a way to get the mess cleaned up?

If you know of an illegal dumpsite located on public right-of-way in Gage County , please contact Keep Beatrice Beautiful at 402-228-4576 or email kbb@beatrice.ne.gov  so arrangements can be made to have the items cleaned up. Keep Beatrice Beautiful has a grant from the NE Department of Environmental Quality to allow local organizations to clean up smaller sites…a chair, a tire, etc.

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has an Illegal Dump Site Cleanup Program which provides funds to reimburse political subdivisions (city, country or NRD) for their costs in cleaning up illegal dump sites along public roadways or ditches. Funding from this program comes from fees collected at landfills.

Applicants are also educated about and encouraged to use measures to prevent future illegal disposal from occurring. Some of these measures include posting signs, erecting fences or gates; publicizing initiatives for enforcement against violators; and increased prosecution. For more information on this program contact Steve Danahy at 402-471-0273.