Operation: Dump-and-Run

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Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to prevent late-night and weekend dumpers from targeting your industrial property.

It's no laughing matter. Chronic dumping is a crime. And a major headache for property managers.

As landfill costs continue to rise and regulations on waste get stricter, illegal dumping will pose an even greater nuisance to industrial properties. Insignificant it may seem, but some veteran junkers can go to great lengths to unload on your property, costing you thousands in debris removal.

But don't just get down in the dumps about it. Review the following cases for tips to keep you ahead of stealthy dumpers.

You've been briefed. Now the fate of the property rests in your hands.

CASE NO. FD-301

South-Side Fly Dumpers

"When I managed some properties on the South Side of Chicago, I had a big problem with what I call 'fly dumpers,' people who dump at late hours or on weekends," says Louis Colletto, CPM[R], of Morgan Realty Partners in Burr Ridge, Ill. "Most of my fly-dumping occurred on the weekends. There's a pattern, and some dump on a regular basis."

Know the Enemy. There are dumpers, and then there are dumpers, says Colletto. "There are those who are professional dumpers, and there are occasional ones. Professional dumpers are more aggressive and persistent. Most of it is related to construction debris."

Colletto has received so much foreign debris during his five years of managing a large portfolio of industrial properties that he can break down dumpers into three basic categories, along with the approximate monthly removal costs:

Heavy Construction: $1,000 to $2,000. "I'd get a lot of construction debris. They break out a driveway, and they have all this broken concrete. Instead of going to pay at a legitimate dump site, they fly dump it. For a load of gravel or concrete, you have to get someone who has a Bobcat, and that can run you easily $1,000 each time it happens."

Home and Commercial Re-modelling: $1,000. …