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Illegal dumping | Credit: TxDOT

AUSTIN – An increased effort to prevent illegal trash dumping has resulted in more monitoring of Texas roadways. 

The Texas Department of Public Safety says the move adds a new twist to “Don’t Mess with Texas.”

Texas illegal dumping crack down

The initiative began in San Antonio, and is now expanding to new territories, the TxDOT release says. 

The department collaborated with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and local law enforcement to design and implement the plan, which involved setting up cameras at suspected dumping sites. 

New areas being outfitted with the investigation points include El Paso, Dallas and Houston districts of TxDOT.

The effort so far has identified four illegal dumpers. 

TxDOT’s Compliance Division places cameras in debris to try and identify individuals engaged in illegal dumping. Photo provided by Compliance Division.

What they’re saying:

“TCEQ’s Environmental Crimes Unit supports this initiative and has worked with TxDOT for the past few years on illegal dumping sites,” said Malcolm Ferris, a TCEQ investigator. “Through these partnerships and utilizing our combined resources, we are able to more efficiently address illegal dumping.”

The Source: Information in this article came from the Texas Department of Public Safety. 

TexasCrime and Public Safety