WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. (WYMT) - Litterbugs wanting to get rid of unwanted garbage have often turned to illegal dump sites, and Whitley County is no exception. But thanks to a state grant, some dumps there should soon be a thing of the past.

Hundreds of tires litter the ground, filled with water and surrounded by weeds. This is an illegal dump.

"It's been going on for generations," said Whitley County Judge-Executive Pat White, Jr. "But probably about the past 15 years, the state and the counties have been partnering to try to clean up some of these illegal dumps."

Whitley County has been awarded $137,000 from the Kentucky Pride Fund to clean up five of its dumps. The county will match state contributions by 25 percent on all but the largest dumps. County officials say it has always been a challenge keeping these areas clean.

"A lot of times the dumps that we clean up, people will come back and dump again, so sometimes we clean the same place twice," said county projects director Amber Owens.

There are several dump sites scattered across Whitley County. The judge-executive says not only are they an eyesore, but they also pose a risk to public health.

"Some of this stuff would be band-aids and rotten food and, you know just all sorts of things that you wouldn't want your kids to find their way to play in," he said.

Officials say the grant money will go a long way towards keeping the county clean. Officials hope to have contracts for the clean-up work awarded in February. A pre-bid meeting is scheduled for January 24th.