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Community being asked to curb illegal dumping

The City of Mission is taking a proactive stance and enlisting help from the community to curb illegal dumping. Illegal dumping is dumping of any waste, whether it is oil, furniture, appliances, trash, or landscaping cuttings, upon any public right-of-way, city property or private property, without consent of the owner.

“With the residential growth and tourism in Mission, we are particularly focused on keeping our city looking nice for both our residents and guests. We want to tackle the issue of illegal dumping,” Councilman Ruben Plata said. “We want our city to be an inviting environment and everyone should do their part. By teaming up with our community, we can make it happen.”

The Code Enforcement Department with the assistance of the Mission Police Department is patrolling neighborhoods daily to deter illegal dumping and investigate citizen complaints. Community help is also essential to catching and preventing illegal dumping.

“We want to engage our residents to help us find the people who are violating our city ordinance,” Planning and Zoning Director, Jaime Acevedo said. “They are our eyes and ears and it helps tremendously when we receive community support to catch people that are illegally dumping debris.”

While trash piles can be a real eyesore throughout the city, Mission’s code enforcement officers say there are bigger issues at hand.

“We have trash and tires that are dumped, and if we get rain, those tires fill up with water, and then you get mosquitoes. It’s a domino effect,” Acevedo said. “Working together with our citizens, we can keep our city clean and this helps us to reduce the cost of additional manpower for prevention and cleanup.”

Illegal dumpers face fines of up to $2,000 for avoiding proper disposal. If anyone sees illegal dumping, they are urged to call the City of Mission Code Enforcement Department.

If you observe someone in the act of dumping illegally, please take down the following information if it is safe to do so:

• Date, time and location of incident
• Description of vehicle and license plate number – (Photos optional)
• What items/materials were being dumped – (Photos optional)
• Description of person(s) dumping
• Any other information that may be useful in identifying the violators.

With adequate information, the City will investigate and pursue criminal charges against identified violators. Callers may choose to remain anonymous.

To report illegal dumping please call 956.580.8697.

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