HOUSTON – A well-known dumping site near the intersection of Buffalo Speedway and Holmes Road has become a persistent issue for local officials.
Mayor Pro Tem Martha Castex-Tatum says the repeated cleanups are wasting resources and impacting city programs.
The area is littered with tires, garbage, and furniture—evidence of illegal dumping that persists even 48 hours after the city’s cleanup efforts.
LIST: Illegal dumping sites reported across Houston area
Mayor Pro Tem Castex-Tatum expressed frustration, stating, “It’s getting more difficult to keep up. We are calling Solid Waste more frequently to ask for assistance with removing this illegal dumping.
“It really is becoming problematic because when we pull those Solid Waste trucks out to help us pick up these illegal dump locations, we’re pulling them off the routes that we need to ensure they are getting out to pick up the green and black cans for our citizens.”
On Tuesday morning, alone, the city collected 46 large 18-wheeler tires, but more have appeared in the interim.
“We ride that area periodically throughout the week,” Castex-Tatum noted. ”I would say that at least four to five times a month, we clean up that area. As soon as we clean it up, unfortunately, someone else sees it as an area where they can discard their trash without being caught.”
The ongoing issue is costing the city significant resources, affecting essential programs.
When asked about the impact, Castex-Tatum explained, “Any programs that cost money are suffering. We could be utilizing our council district service funds for infrastructure or more meaningful social programs in our communities, like the YMCA or after-school programming.”
There is, however, a plan in place to catch those responsible for the illegal dumping.
“Right now, we have some game cameras set up throughout the district, and they have been helpful,” Castex-Tatum said. “We have about 12 game cameras around the district that we are utilizing. We pull that footage and have given it to HPD.”
She added that many of the offenders are community members who live within one to three miles of the dumping sites.
“These are community members who are coming from work and, instead of going to the dump, are dumping in dead ends or on less-traveled streets before driving home,” she said.
Moving forward, Castex-Tatum plans to add more cameras to the area, post pictures of those responsible, and increase the number of citations issued for illegal dumping.