Trash Talk: County Street Resident Tired of Garbage on Road

MANSFIELD, MA — Contrary to the beliefs of some people, County Street is not a place to dispose of trash and a resident is asking the town to take action.

Joseph Britt, who lives on the road, told the selectmen Wednesday that there is a problem when it comes to people throwing garbage away on the street near the Foxborough-Mansfield line. While showing board members photos of the trash, he said there is a bad area in a grassy stretch with wetlands, noting at one point there were TVs and washing machines getting dropped there. While Britt tries to get rid of the trash near the wetlands, it can get dangerous when the water rises and you can't tell how deep it is, he said.

"It becomes a real problem and it starts to sink it and it starts to accumulate," Britt said.

The problem is all too familiar to the board. Chairman Jess Aptowitz said he cleaned that area during the last town cleanup day and remembered the severity of the problem on the Mansfield and Foxborough sides of the road.

"I had a whole bag of nip bottles. It was on both sides and unfortunately, we see that a lot in wooded areas. People throw stuff out the window and it’s terrible," Aptowitz said. "Your point is well taken because it’s a frustration to all of us. It could be three in the morning and they’re chucking the McDonalds bag."

Britt suggested putting up a fence, but Aptowitz said people would just throw their garbage over the fence.

Selectman Frank DelVecchio suggested contacting Keep Mansfield Beautiful and Selectman Steve Schoonveld recommended checking the area after this year's cleanup day.

Police Chief Ron Sellon said he would be willing to look at the area, and was open to the installation of a camera to get a better grasp of the problem.

"There’s no reason why we can’t start targeting that particular area. If there is one spot that’s a problem, we can stem it," Sellon said.

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