 Pike County officials have been working four months to clean up illegal dumps and prosecute those responsible. More than 100 cases are now before judges in Pike District Court. But recent discoveries about who is dumping garbage illegally have surprised everyone. I am shocked continuously because some of these dumps, you walk up to them and there's people's names, okay? You get over that shock and the next thing you know, you're linking it to businesses. Pike County Solid Waste Enforcement Officer Bruce Anderson says they have had suspicions that companies hired to repossess mobile homes have been dumping their contents illegally. But a recent phone call confirmed it. A gentleman was behind a vehicle with a truck trailer full of garbage. Household items, not just, I'm talking furniture, toys, bicycles. I pull in, identify myself and they pretty well just said we're dumping. And then when they explain that they're contractors for a bank to clean out homes that's been repossessed by the bank to be ready for sale, they were loading it up and dumping illegally. But it's more serious than that. Anderson says a few businesses are also responsible for illegal dumping of things like tires, mattresses and even furniture to avoid paying a fee at the county landfill. I never thought when I went into a business, and again, not all businesses, but some businesses and they're getting rid of my old stuff, I'm happy because I'm not throwing my back out. Then I take this job and I'm in shock. There it is over the hill, mattresses and tires. And you pull out your new tires, what do you think? You just pay the disposal fee. They're going to take them to the county landfill where they dispose of tires properly, what I find out on many occasions. This guy goes up and says, look, I'll get rid of these tires for 50 cents a tire. And then they're not coming up to the disposal tire place, they're over our hills. Anderson says there is something companies can do to stop the illegal dumping. Ask for a receipt. All they got to do is say, once you dispose of it, bring me back a receipt which any place, the tire disposal place, the landfill, they'll give you a receipt. Just one little thing like that would help to clean up. And I know it would do about 75% of the tire problem. Because when you pull up and there's 100 tires, that ain't just because John Doe put four new tires at his house. Pike County Judge Executive Ray Jones encourages businesses who hire people to dump their garbage to take a closer look at how that happens. If we find out a business is having someone haul tires, whatever it is, and if they're disposed of illegally, then we're going to let the enforcement officer look at potential action against the business that arranges it. Because there is a responsibility if you know something is going to be dumped, that it is dumped or disposed of properly and legally. But this is where we all live, this is where we're raising our families, this is where we're building businesses, we're trying to build a future. And these people obviously don't care about the future of Pike County if they're just willing to go pour garbage or debris into a wide spot or over an embankment or in a creek. And if you're caught, we're going to say that you're prosecuted to the fullest extent law. To report illegal dumping in Pike County, you can call the Pike County Judge Executive's office.