Albany, OR Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

In the City of Albany, Oregon, illegal dumping is prosecuted as offensive littering under § 7.84.260, added by Ord. 5973 in 2022. The older Chapter 7.52, Littering, is listed in the code as repealed by Ord. 5779. The current section is written as a crime: a person commits offensive littering if the person creates an objectionable stench, degrades the beauty or appearance of property, or detracts from the natural cleanliness or safety of property by acting intentionally.

Three acts qualify. Under (1)(a), discarding or depositing any rubbish, trash, garbage, debris, or other refuse upon the land of another without the owner's permission, or upon any public way, or in or upon any public transportation facility. Under (1)(b), draining, or causing or permitting to be drained, sewage or the drainage from a cesspool, septic tank, recreational or camping vehicle waste holding tank, or other contaminated source, upon the land of another without permission or upon any public way. Under (1)(c), permitting refuse to be thrown from a vehicle the person is operating. Subsection (1)(c) does not apply to a person operating a vehicle transporting passengers for hire subject to regulation by the Interstate Commerce Commission or the Department of Transportation, or to a school bus described under ORS 801.460.

The defined terms reach widely. A public way includes, but is not limited to, roads, streets, alleys, lanes, trails, beaches, parks, and all recreational facilities operated by the state, a county, or a local municipality for use by the general public. A public transportation facility means property, structures, or equipment used for transporting persons for hire by rail, air, or bus, including railroad cars, buses, and airplanes.

Three nearby rules cover related conduct. Section 8.01.020(1) declares that keeping debris, garbage, or junk out of doors on any street, public sidewalk, lot, or premises within the city is a nuisance and unlawful, and (2)(a)(i) lists accumulations of litter, scrap materials, empty containers, pieces of asphalt, concrete, and lumber. Section 5.06.160(7) tells mobile food unit operators that no dumping of waste is permitted into the storm drain system, public streets, or onto the surface, as outlined in Chapter 12.10 AMC, Prohibited Discharges.