Public asked to help identify suspects for illegal dumping case in Youngstown

Youngstown officials are asking the public to help identify a suspect accused of illegally dumping trash on the city's southside.

It happened early Tuesday morning and Sunday around noon in the South Avenue area, according to Litter and Recycling Coordinator Robert Burke.

In one of the incidents captured by cameras from the BCI's environmental unit shows what appears to be an SUV drop off about three bags of trash.

Burke adds that the contents of the trash included old tires and general garbage were dumped. 

Meanwhile, the other incident shows an SUV driving away.

The images were captured using camera's the city acquired four weeks ago as part of the BCI and city's joint effort to curb illegal dumping throughout the city. They replaced old cameras that were no longer in use due to wear and tear, Burke said.

Illegal dumping is when someone throws their trash in areas where it's not permitted. It's an issue Burke says the city sees moderately throughout the area.

These cameras upload images to Burke's office every six hours and not only capture the suspects dumping their trash but it helps city crews locate it and clean it faster.

They're located in areas across the city that see the most dumping.

Burke adds that he hopes these cameras will highlight that the act of dumping trash in these areas is not acceptable.

"It's a behavioral thing," Burke said. "In their mind, this is normal to them. If we show them it isn't normal, we can curb this behavior."