Neighbors seek for help getting trash cleaned up after becoming pilled up at property in Acres Homes

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A home and lot on Mansfield near Wheatley and Tidwell has been trashed.

"Something needs to be done," neighbor Ariel Maldonado said.

Maldonado said it used to be a beautifully manicured home, but the property was left abandoned when an older couple sold it. Now, people camp in their cars, and others come through to dump their unwanted garbage.

"You'll see the pile of trash just growing and random things, so usually, what it will take is one person to dump things or start the pile, and more people will add to it," Maldonado said.

According to Houston Solid Waste, they've cleaned up nearly 9,000 illegal dumps this year. Eyewitness News was there on Tuesday when crews cleaned up one recurring dump on the corner of Chapman and English.

Illegal dumping can earn you a $4,000 fine and possible jail time. Maldonado said he's called 311, and police, that he has picture of people and license plates, but it seems no one wants to enforce the consequences.

"Obviously, if they were enforcing that, more people would be scared of actually doing this," Maldonado said.

Maldonado said turning to ABC13 felt like a last resort he shouldn't have to make.

"I've seen mattresses, toilets, tires, trash, and cats everywhere, so it's attracting animals. I wouldn't be surprised if there were rodents around," Maldonado said.

Solid Waste reports that they have increased the number of inspectors and set up surveillance equipment to monitor high-dumping areas. The city has also improved access to drop-off locations, providing more options for trash drop-off where it belongs.

Under the former mayor, Sylvester Turner, the One Clean Houston initiative promised nearly $14,000,000 to crack down on illegal dumping, an issue he saw as a priority.

ABC13 reached out to Mayor John Whitmire's office, which said the initiative's name has been retired but that it is aggressively tackling illegal dumping through funding, coordination, and other strategies. No specifics were provided, and his office did not answer whether illegal dumping is a priority.

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