The City of San Antonio is announcing a major initiative designed to crack down on 'midnight dumping,' which continues to be a problem throughout the city, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
One key provision of the program, according to City Manager Sheryl Sculley, will be enforcement.
"We will deploy twelve cameras into known dumping areas in the community, and we are working to expand this program," she said.
The cameras will not only deter illegal dumping, but will help police catch people who are dumping trash, furniture, and even hazardous materials on the side of roads, in parks, and in wooded areas.
Midnight dumping has been a serious problem across the city for decades. Every night, refuse is dumped in all parts of the city, causing potential health and traffic problems, as well as forcing the landowners or city crews to clean up the mess.
Sculley says the effort to stamp out illegal dumping will also have an educational component.
"We hope that both the education and targeted enforcement will help to curb the issue of illegal dumping in the community," she said.
Sculley says door hangars will be placed on the front doors of homes across the country, especially in areas where midnight dumping is most prevalent. They will warn people that midnight dumping is illegal, and also provide information on where refuse can be discarded legally, and, in many cases for free.
Sculley says the campaign will also include billboards and other signs warning San Antonio residents against illegal dumping.