TUCSON, Ariz. — Code enforcement officials in Pima County say there are some easy ways to protect your neighborhood and get violators to clean up their acts.
We rode along with Code Compliance Inspector Adam Kirby. He stopped to take pictures of a monument of garbage piled higher than the neighboring pick-up truck. He says it's been parked on a trailer in front of a house for months. He also took us to an illegal dump.
“It can fall off into the washes, and cause clogging and flooding issues.”
Illegal dumping is a hazard for wildlife and for the public health.
“At this point we'll go through the garbage and see if we can find evidence and then contact that person.”
Code enforcement falls under the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality.
“Proper disposal of waste is an enormous issue,” said Senior Program Manager Beth Gorman.
Gorman says yards and junked cars are big issues, but illegal dumping is number one for them.
“People will drive by and say oh someone through their trash there. I’ll just throw mine there too. So it builds and builds into a huge problem.”
You can report code violators in the county by calling 520-622-5800. Or go to www.pima.gov/deq
“Let’s keep it clean,” said Kirby. “If you see stuff like this and you know whose doing it, and feel you need to report it, report it. That way we can address it before it continues to be a growing problem.”
