SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — While it might be the back country for us, the Cleveland National Forest is home to many.
"You have wildlife that are in this area that are going to come across this, they don't know what this is," said U.S Forest Service Officer, Nathan Judy, shaking his head a a huge pile of garbage. "I mean, who just came out here, decided to dump again. Why wouldn't you just go to the dump and take this there?"
Everything from old tires and plastic buckets to dangerous chemicals are illegally dumped at the forest. Like household cleaning supplies and paint, which can seep into the ground and run into watersheds.
"This is a dangerous situation, we need to make sure that we clean this up. The clean up is we think gonna cost about $30,000," said Judy. "Going into the dirt, picking up what we have to in the contaminants. You know, it's just a shame."
During the cleanup, crews look for anything in the pile of garbage that can link them to whoever left the mess. If someone is caught for illegal dumping on federal lands they can face a $5,000 fine or six months in jail.
Ultimately, Officer Judy is fed up with people trashing the forest.
The dangerous chemicals that people carelessly dump in nature, poisons the land and pollutes a pristine area. He wants people to know there are easy and legal ways to get rid of your junk.
WATCH RELATED: New call for action to clean up the mess after month-long trash strike (February 2022)