Cranford Is A No Scavenger Zone

It's often said that one man's junk is another man's treasure; but when that "junk" is water-logged and molded, it's best left in the trash. At least that's the message Cranford authorities are trying to get across to local scavengers.

In the days since flooded more than 1,000 homes in the township, scavengers have been picking through the damaged items left at the curb by residents. They come with pick-up trucks and vans, hoping to find furniture and appliances that can be refurbished and sold, but picking through household objects is a violation of a local ordinance and Police Chief Eric Mason said such acts will not be tolerated.

"We have a zero tolerance policy and we will issue summonses," Mason said. "We've already had a lot of summonses issued for people scavenging through personal property."

Residents of Willow Street, one of the hardest hit neighborhoods in the towship following the storm, said late last wek that they have been chasing away scavengers and some have called the police to report them. Mason encourages residents to continue alerting police when scavengers are seen sifting through things that have been thrown away. Public Works crews are scheduled to begin the arduous task of hauling away the discarded items on Tuesday.

In addition to violating local laws, officials say the items that people have removed from their homes could harbor mold and be a general health hazard. The majory of the furniture, clothing and appliances have been damaged by flood water, which contained sediment, oil from vehicles and in many cases, raw sewage.

Mason said scavengers have contacted local officials, asking how they could go about obtaining permits to haul away the tons of items discarded by flood victims in the wake of the storm. The chief added that no such permits would be issued.