Photo Courtesy of MassDEP
SHREWSBURY — The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and the Shrewsbury Police Department have resolved three cases of illegal dumping in the Bow Street area of Shrewsbury.
MassDEP hidden cameras caught 12 individuals dumping debris such as concrete, trash, furniture, mattresses, asphalt and other construction materials. Three cases resulted in penalties and cleanup and disposal action; cases against nine other individuals are pending in Westborough District Court.
“Illegal dumping is not a victimless crime and won’t be tolerated in Massachusetts,” said MassDEP Commissioner Bonnie Heiple. “Improperly disposing of construction debris or solid waste threatens drinking water supplies, impairs habitats and harms our communities. I’m grateful for the collaboration and creativity of our Environmental Crimes Strike Force and law enforcement partners to ensure violations like this are identified and rectified.”
“We want residents to know that the Shrewsbury Police Department is taking this issue seriously. This area has historically been prone to illegal dumping, and we are taking steps to hold violators accountable,” said Shrewsbury Police Chief Kevin Anderson. “We are pleased to be working alongside MassDEP to help protect our environment and reduce the demand that this activity has put on taxpayer resources needed to clean up this area.”
In one case, MassDEP’s surveillance cameras recorded two separate dumping incidents of concrete debris from a truck owned by the R. Nunes Landscaping Corp. of Worcester and operated by an individual wearing a Nunes Landscaping shirt. Two loads of broken, painted concrete blocks were dumped on Bow Street not far from Holden and Clinton streets. This area falls within a Drinking Water Wellhead Protection zone, where it is illegal to disposal of solid waste due to potential negative impacts on drinking water supplies.
Photo Courtesy of MassDEP
When informed of the illegal dumping, the president of the company, Ricardo B. Nunes, removed some of the debris and properly disposed of it at a Worcester transfer station.
MassDEP assessed a $6,960 penalty, $2,460 to be paid to the commonwealth and $3,000 to be utilized in a Supplemental Environmental Project. The SEP required that Nunes Landscaping provide six to eight hours of labor by three workers to clean, remove and properly dispose of a couple of truckloads of debris from the Bow Street area, and that cleanup was completed recently. A portion of the penalty will also be suspended once the fine is paid.
In two additional cases, Worcester resident Angel Ortiz Cruz was photographed on three different occasions dumping truckloads of predominantly asphalt and concrete at the Bow Street area. Ortiz Cruz pled guilty to illegal dumping and was ordered by the court to pay restitution to the town, in addition to being placed on probation.
Another defendant, Joseph Smith of Worcester, pleaded guilty to illegal dumping and was ordered to pay restitution to the town.
