The City of Benton Harbor is declaring war on the problem of illegal dumping.

A massive amount of trash, tires, and debris is being dumped illegally throughout the city, which said Thursday it has spent over 169 thousand dollars in the last three and a half years on extra dumpsters to remove illegally dumped trash. The Public Safety Department has begun an investigation into illegal dumping, and four arrests have been made since the new effort was launched last week.

Some of the new penalties that have been instituted include increased fines and possible vehicle seizure.