Mayor Turner allocates $18M to help clean up illegal dumping in Houston neighborhoods

HOUSTON – Mayor Sylvester Turner announced on Wednesday that the City of Houston will allocate $18 million over the next two years to help clean up illegal dumping.

“Illegal dumping is a pervasive problem that negatively impacts the health, safety, and quality of many communities throughout the City of Houston. The quality of life within our neighborhoods should not be compromised through the blights created by illegal dumping. Everyone deserves the right to live in a healthy and safe environment, and we are all responsible for keeping our communities clean and free of dumping and other environmental hazards. We must all work together to create One Clean Houston,” Turner said.

To help address the issue, Turner and his team created a program entitled the One Clean Houston program, which will focus on three areas of impact:

1. Rapid cleanup

• Increase funding for heavy trash dumping and litter removal - $11.5M in additional contract abatement services over 3 years
• Improve complaint routing and interagency coordination - clearly define roles and streamline processing of 311 service requests and tipline
• Improve the efficiency of collections equipment - $3M to purchase single-operator grappler trucks
• Attract and retail solid waste drivers - $200K to increase hiring incentives

2. Better Enforcement

• Expand video surveillance - $419K for additional cameras to catch dumpers
• Improve enforcement of heavy trash violations - $620K for a dedicated team of inspectors in SWM to enforce heavy trash violations
• Launch HPD Environmental overtime program - $100K in OT for FY23 to aid in investigation efforts
• Make it easier to report dumping and violators - report dumping and dumpers through various channels: 311, HPD online crime reports, Crimestoppers (for up to $5,000 reward)
• Increase the number of successful prosecutions - prosecute cases DA declines to accept in municipal courts and improve investigation processes to better identify defendants.
• Target major repeat property owner offenders - aggressively pursue property owners who allow dumping on their property
• Grow partnerships with local law enforcement agencies - $1.9M for additional cameras and contract services with Harris County Precinct One Environmental Crimes Unit

3. Prevention and Education

• Improve access to neighborhood depositories - pilot neighborhood drop-off program in areas severely impacted by dumping & increase equipment at depositories to reduce wait times
• Establish a dumpsite maintenance and control program -use tools such as barricades, landscaping and signage at chronic dumpsites
• Improve community engagement - educate communities on heavy trash policies and provide neighborhood clean-up opportunities

For more information about the initiative and how the funds will be allocated, visit https://www.houstontx.gov/onecleanhouston/

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