The price of illegal dumping going up in Houston: Now up to $4,000
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston's long-fought battle against illegal dumping got a boost Wednesday when city council members approved doubling the fine for violations.
Entering the city council meeting, the fine for dumping of refuse in the city carried a maximum penalty of $2,000.
Under the ordinance amendment, the maximum penalty is set now to $4,000, the highest permitted by state law.
The increased fine amount passed unanimously.
The latest bid to resolve a years-running issue came just weeks after the city's Department of Solid Waste Management advised its junk waste collection efforts were a week behind.
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Mayor Sylvester Turner also spent a portion of his fiscal year 2022 budget presentation focusing on illegal dumping.
"Some of those [budget] dollars, we'll certainly have to look at, improving the quality of life in communities hard pressed with illegal dumping and a lot of trash," Turner said earlier this month.
Eyewitness News has documented the greater Houston area's illegal dumping issues.
Last month, Harris County Precinct 1 constable deputies arrested a man who has had a history of illegal dumping convictions dating back to 2009.
And in one of the most extreme instances, a boat was left in a spot in east Houston where dumping has been all too common.
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