Local News

Mass. city seeks criminal complaint after woman accused of dumping 1.5 tons of trash on street

Officials warned that law enforcement will continue to crack down on trash dumping in Springfield.

April 25, 2025

1 minute to read

The city of Springfield has had enough of illegal trash dumping, and is making an example out of a Ludlow woman who allegedly dumped 1.5 tons of trash into a city neighborhood.

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno gathered with other city and law enforcement officials April 17 to announce a criminal complaint has been filed against the woman after several repeated offenses within Ludlow.

“Shame on them for coming into our city, our neighborhoods, and dumping all of their trash onto our streets,” Sarno said during the April 17 public appearance. “How would they like it if we threw all of this 1.5 tons of trash onto their front lawn and driveway?”

Sarno said the woman was caught on security cameras and warned that law enforcement will continue to crack down on trash dumping, according to a statement from the city.

Springfield police are awaiting a hearing to establish probable cause and allow the woman to present evidence challenging the complaint, according to the district court.

The trash dumped in the Indian Orchard neighborhood in Springfield took a group at least three hours to clean up and cost $1,500 to dispose of it properly, according to the statement.

A Ludlow Board of Health meeting on March 19 revealed that the woman had previous offenses of garbage dumping in and around her Bristol Street property. The health department received its first complaint in 2022 about trash, odor, and rats near the address, according to meeting minutes.

Ten more complaints followed, along with eight police interactions, six correspondences, and 14 follow-ups over the course of three years, according to the minutes.

Several audience members testified about the trash that had spilled onto the sidewalks and, coupled with a trailer in the woman’s driveway, affected visibility of the street for some.

“We hold our breaths when we back up out of our driveways because we can’t see anything,” said Ann Van Haler, a neighbor on Bristol Street. “It’s just a matter of time before somebody’s hurt.”