EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — On Tuesday, old couches, TVs and garbage bags were scattered throughout Washington Avenue in East St. Louis.
The abandoned trash is what Robert Owens faces every day when he looks out over his backyard.
"It is a very sore eye, to the neighborhood, to my backyard," he said. "Sometimes, it's so full out there, man, you can't even drive up and down the street."
Owens told 5 On Your Side he had put in calls to his precinct’s leaders, who eventually get the trash picked up. But it doesn't take long for trash to pile back up again.
"I want to be proud of where I live. I want to be able to come out and throw a picnic or a family gathering out here," he said.
Owens and his neighbors’ issues are the reason J.D. Dixon with Empire 13, a grassroots activist organization committed to environmental justice, started a petition to end illegal dumping in the area.
"This comes from landlords who come to East St. Louis and dump out these couches and everything because they know they can get away with it in East St. Louis," Dixon said. "Up in Belleville of course, Fairview Heights, they are not going to get away with it - at all."
Dixon has spent years with his group clearing piles across the city. On Tuesday, he had garnered more than 300 signatures to address the Department of Justice’s Environmental Justice Division.
It is a newly formed division that is supposed to provide a roadmap for using the department's civil and criminal enforcement authorities and tools to conduct an investigation into the area.
Dixon stressed how he had seen the work done to eliminate waste dumping in other cities, and he wanted the same for his people.
"We're going to be the ones come out and clean up the illegal dumping sites but it's to get the federal state, and local government to take action," Dixon said. "If we're out here cleaning up, then they should be out here putting in 30 times more effort than what we're putting in."
In addition to being an eye sore, litter can be a hazard to health and safety.
According to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, abandoned piles of household garbage, bags of yard waste, discarded appliances, old barrels, used tires and demolition debris can threaten the health of humans, wildlife and the environment.
They can also pose the following health, safety and environmental threats:
- Fire and explosion.
- Injury to children playing in or around the dump site.
- Disease carried by mosquitoes, flies and rodents.
- Contaminate streams, rivers and lakes.
- Contaminate soil and groundwater.
- Contaminate drinking water wells.
- Damage to plant and wildlife habitats.
- Decrease in the quality of life for nearby communities and residents.
"It's devastating to your morale," Dixon added, "to even wanting to be successful."
5 On Your Side reached out to the regional Environmental Protection Agency, but it did not have anyone available to comment.
East St. Louis residents are encouraged to contact the city's Code Enforcement Division to file a complaint.
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