The City of Houston is hosting a dump day Saturday April 29, to help residents dispose of unwanted household waste. The event is part of an initiative to fight illegal dumping in the Houston-area.
Residents can drop off bulk waste at the McCarty Landfill in Northeast Houston 5757 A Oates Rd. Houston, TX 77078 and Blue Ridge Landfill on the Southwest side near Fresno 2200 FM 521 Rd. / Fresno, TX 77545 between 8 a.m. – 3 p.m..
The dump day is part of the One Clean Houston, a $17 million initiative put in place last month to alleviate what the city said is an ongoing problem of illegal dumping. Piles of trash in illegal dumping sites across the city put a burden on city workers who can’t keep up with the problem. The city said it spent millions of extra dollars just last year to hire extra help for the solid waste department.
The city has stated that residents are frustrated with piles of trash surrounding their neighborhoods, and there’ve been 5,000 complaint calls within the last year about illegal dumping. But, the city said as quick as the solid waste department picks the trash up – more comes back to the very same sites they cleaned. Some council districts have cameras that they said has helped drive down illegal dumping in their areas, but it’s still a continuous cycle.
The new initiative has added 11 new trash trucks, 25 new security cameras, and a funding boost of $11 million to cover the cost of the new equipment and extra police officers.
The rally against illegal dumping is an opportunity for residents to dispose of unwanted bulk waste in a legal and convenient way. Residents are required to have proof of residency that can be in the form of a driver's license, utility bill or lease agreement. One free load is granted to each household, and appliances with refrigerants must have certification of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) removal.
"We're going to provide complimentary disposal at two of the city’s largest disposal facilities," said Mayor Pro-Tem Dave Martin.
Some items that will not be accepted are:
- Air conditioners with motors
- Appliances containing freon
- Batteries
- Bulk liquids (unless tested and profiled)
- CD Players
- Circuit Boards and more items can be found on the site.
The City of Houston has six Neighborhood Depository and Recycling Centers that the community can take advantage of. The city has discussed possibly adding more depositories to help lower the wait time and accommodate the increase of trash that tends to fill the depositories – that oftentimes might lead people to illegally dump.
- North 9003 N Main 77002
- Northwest 14400 Sommermeyer 77041
- Northeast 5565 Kirkpatrick 77028
- Southeast 2240 Central Street 77017
- South 5100 Sunbeam 77033
- Southwest 10785 SW Freeway 77074
