500 pounds of pasta illegally dumped in New Jersey woods

Illegal dumping usually consists of stuff like tires, old appliances and broken furniture.

Well, residents in New Jersey discovered something out of the ordinary.

Almost 500 pounds of pasta — spaghetti, macaroni, ziti and alphabet pasta — was found late last month near a creek in the woods near Old Bridge, N.J.

“There was literally 25 feet of pasta that had been dumped,” Nina Jochnowitz told The New York Times.

Jochnowitz, who unsuccessfully ran for local office there, took photos and posted them to Facebook.

Estimated 300-400 lbs of pasta dumped in Old Bridge
by u/stormborn72 in newjersey

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Old Bridge public works employees later cleaned up around 15 wheelbarrow loads of the pasta — reports vary on whether it was cooked or not.

“We would estimate several hundred pounds of uncooked pasta that was removed from the packaging and then dumped along the creek. It looks like it was only there for a short time but moisture did start to soften some of the pasta,” Himanshu Shah, Old Bridge’s business administrator, told NJ.com.

Local police are investigating the illegal dumping, Shah said.

Internet speculation on the likely culprits include: a social media stunt, a restaurant or catering company, or possibly leftovers from a spaghetti dinner night/fundraiser with a smaller turnout than expected.

But Jochnowitz told the Times she learned who had dumped it.

“I only know that it was not a business,” she said. “It was a private residence, and I’m in conversation with the family via an individual who knows the family.”