Effingham County, GA Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

Sec. 42-4 was written to give the county a uniform ban on littering across all public and private property and waters in the unincorporated area, and it defines 'litter' broadly to include organic and inorganic waste, trash, discarded containers and dead animals. Dumping is only lawful if the property is a state-designated disposal site, the material goes into an installed receptacle, or the person dumping owns or has the consent of the property owner. The section separately bans discharging construction-site waste, such as concrete washout, chemicals, fuel, sanitary waste and demolition debris, from a job site.

A vehicle operator who fails to secure a load so that material drops or shifts onto the roadway is also in violation. Litter thrown from a vehicle, boat or aircraft is prima facie evidence against the operator, and litter found bearing a person's name, such as mail or bills, creates a rebuttable presumption that person dumped it. Sec. 42-4(e)(3) sets the penalty on conviction: a fine of not less than $200.00 and not more than $1,200.00, plus reimbursement to the county for the reasonable cost of removing the litter, and a court can order the violator to personally pick up litter along up to one mile of roadway or from other affected property.

The Effingham County code enforcement officer is named the primary enforcement officer for the section, though any state or county law enforcement official can also enforce it.