City leaders address illegal dumping at town hall meeting

Quametra Wilborn
·2 min read
1

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — People from various communities across South Memphis gathered to express their frustrations in their neighborhoods with city leaders. The main topic was Illegal dumping.

Saturday morning the sanctuary at Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church was packed with people looking for guidance and answers, specifically from local leaders.

Multiple city officials were in attendance to provide solutions and clarity to issues facing those living in Southwest Memphis.

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Barbara Britton, president of the Boxtown Neighborhood Association, organized the town hall meeting, and many people living in the area attended hoping to get their issues resolved.

One of the main topics was illegal dumping.

One man said he has been dealing with illegal dumping on his property near Tulane Road and Windsor Road for years.

“I’ve gotten to the point where I clean it myself. They told me, ‘hey if you touch it, then you’re responsible.’ I get citations for it. For cleaning my own property, I get a citation in the mail,” said the man.

He says he’s made multiple complaints to 311, but the problem continues.

“I put up my own personal signs asking people to respect the neighborhood and please don’t dump, but wherever my signs are not, that’s where people dump,” he said.

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City officials say they are working on solutions to get illegal dumping under control and trash picked up promptly.

“I need to do a better job of communicating with you guys on what’s acceptable and what’s reasonable. We need to work together to make collection more efficient,” said City of Memphis Solid Waste Director Phillip Davis.

However, people we spoke to tell us they do not want to hear what elected officials are doing. They want to see it.

“The representatives are listening. Now, what’s going to be done? We’ll have to see,” said Britton.

The president of the Boxtown Neighborhood Association says they hope to have more events like this in the near future.

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