Project Clean Neighborhood making huge difference in cleaning up dump sites
Texas Border Business
For several months at the beginning of 2018, McAllen was plagued with illegal dump sites scattered throughout the city. Whether in empty lots, alleys, hidden back roads or even, right within a neighborhood, individuals would simply throw away their unwanted trash and debris in those locations, instead of following proper channels to get rid of the mess. City of McAllen Code Enforcement Officers, Public Works employees, Keep McAllen Beautiful, and even, Utilities and other department staff were working diligently to not only get rid of the unsightly dump sites but also, to catch the offenders.
A task force was created to respond to the illegal dumping and aside from increasing education and enforcement efforts, neighborhood clean-up initiatives were hosted to help address some of those areas that were frequent targets of dump sites. Two Project Neighborhood Clean-Ups were hosted that yielded a great haul of trash. The first clean-up event was held in May in La Balboa neighborhood yielded 1,300 tires and 50.14 tons of trash and debris collected. A few months later in July in La Hermosa neighborhood, 450 tires and 23.98 tons of trash and debris were collected. Future clean-ups will be held in areas designated by the task force.
Project Neighborhood Clean-Up is an existing initiative that is designed to assist in cleaning and beautifying neighborhoods. Offered by Keep McAllen Beautiful, citizens or homeowners’ associations can request, at no cost to them, for the industrial size dumpster roll-off containers to be placed in their neighborhoods for the weekend, so that residents can dump their unwanted trash, debris and tires in the containers. While construction material, food waste or dangerous chemicals will not be accepted, most other trash is, including broken appliances, furniture, and other bulky items, which makes the initiative convenient for the neighborhood. For more information, call Keep McAllen Beautiful at 681-4562.
The illegal dumping task force is still diligently monitoring known areas and is placing dynamic messaging signs regarding illegal dumping, including the associated fines, around town. To report illegal dumping, contact the City of McAllen Health and Code Enforcement Department at 681-1900 or call the McAllen 3-1-1 Customer Service Call Center at 681-3111, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
