The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) recently launched a new program through which it is working with 12 municipalities to combat illegal dumping. The program, formally known as the “IDP-CAD” Project (“Illegal Dumping Program – Collaboration and Deterrence”), seeks “to deter illegal dumping and empower municipalities to take an active role in combating illegal dumping.” [1]

The DEP will support the participating municipalities over the course of 10 months in a few ways, one being by loaning camera equipment to be installed in public locations where illegal dumping is known to occur. According to a DEP press release, camera distribution will prioritize “municipalities whose residents face a disproportionate amount of illegal dumping activity affecting their quality of life.” The second part of the Program involves providing enforcement training to municipal employees. This training will include informing participants of their abilities to help enforce both civil and criminal law related to illegal dumping. The IPD-CAD Program launched in November 2020 and is currently in its camera deployment and training stages.

The disposal of solid waste is governed by N.J.A.C. 7:26 et seq., regulations which the NJDEP created under the authority of the Solid Waste Management Act (N.J.S.A. 13:1E-1 et seq). These regulations mainly affect those who transport and/or dispose of “solid waste” as defined by N.J.A.C. 7:26-1.6. The Solid Waste Management Act also permits the NJDEP, county boards of health, and local health departments to file civil actions for violations of the Act. The NJDEP’s IDP-CAD Project aims to use deterrence equipment in conjunction with training to increase enforcement of these solid waste regulations across New Jersey. It will be interesting to see if there are any significant increases in the frequency of civil and/or criminal enforcement cases under the solid waste regulations over the next few months.

You can read more about the NJDEP’s new illegal dumping initiative through press releases here: https://www.nj.gov/dep/newsrel/2021/21_0004.htm and here: https://nj.gov/dep/illegaldumpingenforcement/

You can read more about the Equipment Loan Terms related to the IDP-CAD Project here: [1] https://www.nj.gov/dep/enforcement/docs/Contract%20Terms%20IDP_CAD.pdf