Illegal dumpers repeatedly target Brown Street, but efforts are underway to catch them

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - The City of Jackson and some in west Jackson are fighting an uphill battle when it comes to illegal dumping. Since January, Solid Waste has cleaned up one dump site three times. Frustrated citizens and the city are each working on a solution.

Stop Trashing Jackson is falling on deaf ears for illegal dumpers, and it’s angering residents who say their community is being disrespected. Again Brown Street and Clover Hill Road are littered with tires, furniture, more than a dozen garbage bags, and scattered building materials.

“I grew up here in the area,” said Gregory McClenty.

The Navy veteran is disturbed by the sight of Brown Street, his once-thriving childhood neighborhood. So much so that he and his friend Roosevelt Jones are doing something about it.

“As a landowner here in Jackson, what we’re gonna do, my friend here, he’s a veteran, and I’m a veteran also,” said McClenty. “He recently purchased this property, and we’re gonna go out, and we’re gonna clean this area up because we’re tired of the repeated dumping.”

“It’s an absolute uphill battle,” said Jackson Solid Waste Manager Lakesha Weathers.

Solid Waste has made repeated trips to the area where those living there say it’s not just Jackson residents trashing their community.

“We have encountered individuals that are in vehicles with tags from outside cities,” said Weathers. “And a couple of times, we’ve seen that it is Rankin County mostly that we’re seeing.”

While McClenty and Jones are committed to doing their part, the city wants other residents to take advantage of roll-off dumpster days and report those responsible for illegal dumping.

“We have made a request for blue light cameras to be placed in that area,” added Weathers. “I will follow up with that request.”

To report illegal dumping, go to JacksonMS.Gov and click on the “No Dumping” tab. There you can upload photos and submit tag numbers and vehicle descriptions.

The Solid Waste manager said crews will again be dispatched to Brown Street to remove the most recent mounds of debris.

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