2014 - Special Campaign Aims to Stop Dumping in State Parks, Open Land

December 9, 2020

DEP Milestone: It’s 2014,
Special Campaign Aims to Stop Dumping in State Parks, Open Land

The image is nearly a half-century old … a Native American man is paddling a canoe along seemingly tranquil and pristine water, which becomes increasingly polluted. After pulling the canoe onto a littered shoreline, he walks toward a bustling freeway and, as he pauses, someone in a passing car tosses a paper bag out the window and it bursts open – the detritus of their fast-food meal is scattered at his feet. The camera moves up and focuses on the man’s face to reveal a single tear slowly falling down his cheek.The grave voice of a narrator intones: “Some people have a deep, abiding respect for the natural beauty that was once this country. And some people don’t. People start pollution. People can stop it.”What became known as the “Crying Indian” was a public service advertisement for the anti-litter organization Keep America Beautiful. The ad – featuring Iron Eyes Cody, an actor in Native American garb (the actor actually was Italian-American, but played Native American characters throughout his career) – debuted on Earth Day in 1971.

“It’s probably the most famous tear in American history,” the Chicago Tribune wrote in 2017. It noted: “For many Americans, the Crying Indian became the quintessential symbol of environmental idealism.”

Interestingly, the force behind Keep America Beautiful was a group of leading beverage and packaging corporations. Their strategy, it was later revealed, was to shift the burden for increasing litter away from their disposable products and onto individuals, making it personal responsibility.

The prize-winning ad would continue to show on television during the ’70s, on billboards and in print ads. It remains ranked as one of the best commercials of all time.

And now, a look at 2014 …

In March 2014, the DEP launched the “Don’t Waste Our Open Space” anti-dumping initiative, a coordinated campaign to crack down on illegal dumping in New Jersey’s state parks and natural lands.

illegally dumped debrisThirty cubic yards of illegally dumped materials were removed from Bass River State Forest in March 2014.

Illegal dumping – everything from old TVs and computers to construction debris, furniture, tires, car parts, even complete cars and boats – had been a growing problem in New Jersey for years, impacting nearly all of the state’s more than 170 publicly owned tracts.

The campaign incorporated strict enforcement against illegal dumping practices while raising awareness through outreach and education efforts, including on-site warning signs, a “Stop Illegal Dumping” website, and a new smartphone app that allowed the public to document and report illegal dumping to the DEP.

Motion-sensing cameras were strategically deployed in state parks and wildlife management areas to help identify violators, who faced criminal fines of up to $5,000 per violation and civil penalties of up to $1,500 per violation. The state also sought stiffer penalties for major violations through the Solid Waste Management Act.

Don't Waste our open Space logoWithin the first six months of its launch, the campaign yielded enforcement actions against 20 individuals, netting nearly $30,000 in court-ordered fines and more than $450,000 in pending fines. The crackdown included charges for the first illegal dumping event caught on hidden camera – at the Duck Island section of D&R Canal State Park – and for large dumping violations at Liberty State Park and Wharton State Forest.

“Debris that is left behind by illegal dumpers is not only unsightly, but it pollutes these properties we cherish,” said then-State Park Director Mark Texel at the launch, which was kicked off by press conferences and cleanup events at D&R Canal State Park and Brendan Byrne State Forest. “It is potentially harmful to public health, wildlife and ecosystems. It also wastes the previous cleanup efforts of volunteers and puts the costs of cleanups on the taxpayer.”

###