GUILFORD COUNTY, N.C. — Illegal dumping is becoming a problem in Stokesdale, and one Facebook post said neighbors have had enough.
"Any kind of brush, debris, construction stuff, household goods and you're dumping it someplace other than the landfill or putting it in your trash it is considered an illegal dump," said Lorelei Elkins, with Guilford County.
If you go by Colgate Road in Stokesdale, you will see just what she is talking about. Pieces of trees, lumber, cans all piled up on the side of the road.
Many trash items can have a devastating effect on the environment.
"A lot of these toxins they end up in our water, they end up in our water, they go into our air and they're deposited into large areas -- they're often dioxins which are toxins that make their way through the food chain and cause cancer," said Elkins.
Those items can also hurt your wallet.
If you illegally dump enough items or enough items are illegally dumped on your lands, you can pay thousands of dollars in fines, and even do jail time.
Reporting illegal dumping in your neighborhood, or finding where you can legally throw things away is super simple.
Guilford County has an online system for both.
You can say what kind of trash you have, and they'll tell you where you can throw it away right here.