Area officials crack down on illegal dumping

Suffolk County officials have a warning for anyone illegally dumping garbage in the Pine Barrens: They are watching the woods. 

On April 22, at a press conference outside the Yaphank corrections facility, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr., Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine and Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico spoke about two recent cases that were investigated through interagency cooperation and increased surveillance.

One incident involved the dumping of construction debris in Yaphank. According to officials, deputy sheriff investigators discovered more than 24 tons of concrete debris illegally dumped in a remote wooded area off Long Island Avenue. A six-week collaborative investigation between the Criminal Investigations Bureau and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Biological, Environmental, and Animal Safety Team (BEAST) followed. The investigation used license plate checks, vehicle tracking, background checks and witness interviews to lead to the arrest of Joao Abreu of Port Jefferson. 

“[He] is charged with felony criminal mischief, facing up to seven years in prison. Additional charges are pending, including fines of up to $150,000,” said Sheriff Toulon. “On top of that, [Mr. Abreu] had 27 license suspensions and did not possess a valid CDL license to operate his commercial vehicle. When we seized the truck used in the dumping, our commercial vehicle enforcement unit found 19 violations during inspection and immediately took it out of service.”

The other incident involved a number of large household items left in the core Pine Barrens area off Wading River Road in Manorville. The sheriff stated that a trail camera captured a U-Haul truck dumping mattresses, box springs, dressers, a television and other items. 

“[Jeanne Rodriguez of Riverhead] is now charged with criminal mischief in the second degree, which is a Class D felony punishable by up to seven years in prison, plus multiple local illegal dumping violations,” Sheriff Toulon said. 

“On Earth Day, we remind residents of the severe consequences of dumping in and around these protected areas,” the sheriff added. “I’m proud of the exceptional investigative work by our deputies to keep the Pine Barrens pristine and protected, and that is what they do.”

With the recent closure of the Brookhaven landfill to construction debris, that waste must now be carted up-island for disposal. Mr. Romaine said that the closest facility now accepting construction waste is in Melville, some 42 miles from Riverhead. 

“We have an obligation to maintain the Earth, to maintain it and not to spoil it,” Mr. Romaine said. “The Pine Barrens is one of the areas of our county that is protected from development, and to see people dump their garbage? Absolutely not.”

The county executive also called on New York State to provide a regional solid waste plan to help curb illegal dumping and give businesses alternatives.

“We need to step up with a regional plan for Long Island for solid waste management, and the time could not be more desperate,” he said. “We are well past the time that this plan should have been put in place. I am challenging the [Department of Environmental Conservation] and the governor to come up with a regional plan for solid waste so we don’t have to deal with this.”

Mr. Panico noted that many of the household items found dumped in Manorville would have been accepted by the regular garbage service provided by the town. 

“Quite honestly, the furniture that was dumped in Manorville, that would have been picked up by the biweekly garbage pickup in front of residential houses. That could have all been picked up,” the supervisor said.

The Manorville section of the Pine Barrens is a common site for illegal dumping. The Riverhead News-Review previously reported on an abandoned boat in the same area. A trip to North Street, less than a mile from Wading River Road, on the same day as Tuesday’s press conference revealed numerous bags of household trash and a pile of unused cement waste. The bags of trash were broken open and the contents were blowing the length of the street and into the woods. 

Mr. Panico said the closure of the Brookhaven landfill is not a legitimate reason to dump construction debris in the Pine Barrens, as there are other sites that accept that type of waste and disposing of construction material is part of being in that business, which may actually be cheaper than the landfill.

“There were economical places and proper places, lawful places that all of this could have been disposed of,” he said. “But it is greed and selfishness that drive people to this criminal behavior.” 

Anyone wishing to report illegal dumping can leave a tip at 1-877-BARRENS.