A south suburban community is fighting back as it deals with an unexpected problem: illegal dumping of trash.
For residents like Robert Garrett, Harvey is home, and he says it’s becoming a dumping ground for unwanted trash, and the problem is getting worse and worse.
“When we see stuff like this, it hurts us,” he says. “It makes me feel bad because I know where Harvey started from and it was not like this.”
Other neighbors share Garrett’s concern, including Sharon Blunt, so says the problem is so bad that she can’t stand to look out her back window.
“I don’t look out the back because there’s no telling what may be back there,” she said. ‘I am very pissed. I shouldn’t have to live like this.”
Both Garrett and Blunt are among dozens of residents who say that the biggest offenders in the illegal dumping are contractors, who use alleys and other areas of Harvey to dump their unwanted trash.
“We need the mayor to crack down on some of those people, who are rehabbing houses and such,” Garrett said. “Whoever owns the house should be fined. We need them to pay for this mess.”
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For now, Garrett and Blunt both say they will be on the lookout for those illegally dumping trash near their homes, and promise they will report any illegal behavior to authorities.
The office of Harvey Mayor Christopher Clark declined comment on the problem.
