The Watertown Boys & Girls Club is calling for community support to address a troubling issue of illegal dumping on its property. Over the past several months, staff members have reported a significant increase in waste being abandoned in their parking lot, diverting funds from essential programs aimed at supporting local youth.
In recent weeks, the club has found a variety of items, including sectional sofa pieces, mattresses, rowing machines, and even a flat-screen television, discarded outside its facilities. On Friday, two mattresses and additional debris were left outside the dumpster, highlighting an ongoing challenge. “Unfortunately, it’s something that we’ve seen quite a bit of lately,” said Executive Director Gary Beatty. “It feels like it has ramped up, probably over the last 12 months or so.”
Beatty suspects that many of the offenders reside in the nearby community. Security cameras have captured both vehicles and pedestrians dumping waste late at night. “We think that this is predominantly people in the neighborhood, which is even more disappointing given they understand what we do for the community,” Beatty noted.
The financial impact of this illegal dumping is considerable. The club is forced to hire contractors for waste removal, with costs reaching hundreds of dollars per load. “Every penny we bring into the club we want to keep in the club,” Beatty explained. “To have to reinvest any of that in dealing with this trash issue is a real sense of frustration for us.”
Efforts to Combat Illegal Dumping
Despite the club’s efforts to deter dumping through signage and surveillance, the problem persists. The Watertown Boys & Girls Club is now collaborating with local law enforcement to identify the individuals responsible for the trash. The aim is to recover some of the funds spent on cleanup or at the very least encourage the offenders to reclaim their discarded items.
“I understand at times it can be difficult to get rid of things,” Beatty said. “But at the Boys & Girls Club, we’re just really frustrated that rather than taking the initiative to go and get it done, as most people do, they decide that they would dump it here at the club and leave us to ultimately deal with it.”
Despite these challenges, Beatty emphasized that the core mission of the Boys & Girls Club remains intact. The organization continues to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for children both before and after school. “We’re very proud of what we do,” he stated. “We love the work that we do and we’re just so happy to be here in the community.”
As the club works to combat this issue, they invite community members to take action against illegal dumping and support their initiatives for local youth.
