PA DEP Investigating Mont Clare Dump

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has begun an investigation into the unauthorized garbage dump .

Deborah Fries, a representative of the DEP, confirmed that a team of its investigators has inspected the site—which sits off a trail near the 300 block of Lovers Lane—and said the department is in the process of determining who owns the property.

The owner will ultimately be ordered by the DEP to clear out the garbage pile; which contains tires of various sizes, oil and anti-freeze containers, a toilet, a television, couch cushions, sheet wood, 2X4s, Gatorade and soda bottles, the seat of a car, and countless other discarded chemicals and plastics.

“There’s a large area of trees out there and there are about four different owners [of the land]. At this point, we’re still trying to determine who would be responsible for the cleanup,” Fries said.

Dennis Hinkle, who owns the property adjacent to the lot, said the dump is not his.

“I have a map that shows my property line. I know my property line. And I know that’s not on it,” the owner of Hinkle's Heating and Air Conditioning told Patch.

"I haven't put anything on the pile either," he added. "I recycle."

Fries said the investigation should be complete by the end of the month but offered no timetable for the dump's remediation.