Conway, AR Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Section 5.08.08 declares it unlawful to drop, deposit, discard, or otherwise dispose of litter on public or private property or into any river, lake, pond or other body of water, with three narrow exceptions: the site is an Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality-permitted disposal site, the litter is placed in a proper receptacle so it cannot blow or wash away, or the property owner or tenant leaves the litter on their own property without creating a health, safety, nuisance or fire hazard. A property owner is not held responsible for a tenant's littering.

Section 5.08.07 sets the penalty structure that applies to this and related sections: a first offense is an unclassified misdemeanor punishable by up to $1,000, or up to 100 hours of community service if the judge finds the offender financially unable to pay, and a second or subsequent offense is a Class A misdemeanor. Courts may also require a violator to remove litter along highways or streets for a set period, and may suspend all or part of the fine or jail time if the violator agrees to that litter-removal duty or is found indigent.

Anyone who supplies information leading to a conviction under this section is entitled to a reward equal to half of any fine collected from the violator, an incentive built directly into the ordinance to encourage residents to report dumping they witness.