The Peru Gazette

On June 20, the owner of a property management company in Montgomery County accepted a plea agreement in Canajoharie Town Court for illegally dumping solid waste on private property earlier this year. On Feb. 6, 2024, workers with the Canajoharie Department of Public Works observed and recorded video of a dark pickup truck carrying a dump trailer filled with solid waste entering a bank-owned property off West Ames Road in Canajoharie and offloading the waste at the location. The workers reported the incident to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, which contacted ECO Willson for assistance. Working with Sheriff’s Deputy Emery, Officer Willson identified and contacted the pickup truck’s owner for an interview.

During the interview, the owner admitted to being contracted to clean out a residence on Reed Street in Canajoharie and claimed to be “temporarily storing” multiple loads of garbage at the property off West Ames Road until he could bring the trash to Utica, where disposal fees are cheaper.

ECO Willson advised the property management owner that it’s illegal to dump solid waste on private property without authorization or use property as a transfer station and issued four tickets to the owner for each separate pile of garbage discovered at the property off West Ames Road.

The owner accepted a plea to one count of illegal disposal of solid waste, which resulted in a $1500 fine and a $90 surcharge.