Residents of Houston’s Pecan Park demand long-term solutions for persistent illegal dumping issues.
HOUSTON — For nearly a month, KHOU 11 has been hearing from frustrated residents across Houston, from Fifth Ward to Harrisburg to South Union, all fed up with illegal dumping and overgrown lots near their homes.
Now, neighbors in Pecan Park, located in Houston’s Gulfgate area, are the latest to speak out, calling for lasting solutions, not just quick cleanups.
Resident Marco Roberts says trash piles have been a recurring problem in his neighborhood for years, but things have gotten worse over the past several months.
On Tuesday, Roberts brought his concerns directly to Houston City Council, telling leaders he was worried about children trick-or-treating on Halloween night.
“We have kids who trick or treat, and now they’re going to have to navigate literally every 100 feet another pile of garbage, and that’s Houston??” Roberts said during the meeting.
The very next day, Roberts says city crews came out and picked up piles of trash that had been sitting for months along Kernel Street, a known dumping hot spot.
“I’m glad they came,” Roberts told KHOU 11’s Michelle Choi. “It was, like, hallelujah, great, it’ll save Halloween. But what does that mean for the weeks ahead? Because this always comes back.”
Roberts showed KHOU 11 the remnants, patches of dead grass, leftover debris, and bare dirt where piles once stood. He says he’s already seeing new dumping just down the street.
“I’m 100% certain it’ll continue,” he said. “Already that night, as soon as the trucks left, two locations had dumping appearing.”
Roberts says he’s been reporting the dumping to 311 and through District I Council Member Joaquin Martinez’s office, but feels the system doesn’t prevent repeat offenses or hold violators accountable.
“The city needs to come up with a plan on how to deal with illegal dumping,” he said. “We just don’t want to live in piles of garbage.”
In a statement to KHOU 11, Council Member Joaquin Martinez said:
“Illegal dumping is a persistent issue in our city that affects many of our neighborhoods. My office is committed to continuing our work with the City’s Solid Waste Department to address these ongoing challenges. We will also continue listening to our constituents and hosting resource events such as our ‘Coffee with the Council Member,’ which we held earlier this month with various City of Houston departments, including Solid Waste, the Department of Neighborhoods, and the Houston Police Department. These conversations are key to finding real solutions and keeping our communities clean and safe. Residents can always use one of the City’s Solid Waste depositories at no cost, and I urge everyone to remain vigilant and report illegal dumping by calling 311.”
Martinez’s office says they remain committed to working with city departments and residents to find long-term solutions.
Roberts says he reached out to KHOU 11 after seeing the station’s recent coverage of similar problems in South Union.
“What Channel 11 is doing here is invaluable to us,” he said. “You’re multiplying our effort hundreds of thousands of times over.”
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