The City of Dallas has been testing a new program meant to keep the city clean. Dallas Code Compliance Services recently created the Litter Removal Team to reduce trash in public areas of the City.
The team of 18 people split into groups to pick up trash in areas where people often litter. The City started the testing in January.
While handling trash in most of these areas is the responsibility of the Texas Department of Transportation or public works, the Litter Removal Team can do it more quickly and efficiently, Kate Lawler, a manager in the Nuisance Abatement Division for the City of Dallas, told NBC 5 DFW.
Lawler told NBC 5 that the team does not wait for calls to come in. Rather, the Litter Removal Team patrols and picks up trash as needed.
As of March 31, the team had picked up and discarded over 331 tons of litter, according to a post tweeted by Dallas Code Compliance Services.
The Litter Removal Team speculated that most of the trash they have found is either from the illegal dumping of trash or from the city’s homeless and vagrant population.
Lawler told NBC 5 that the team would sometimes drop off trash bags in certain areas to address this specific problem.
“The unsheltered are pretty good at picking up their own trash. They set the bag out for us, and we come back and get it,” she said.
Lawler hypothesized that much of the trash is dumped because it is difficult to dispose of properly or because people are unwilling to pay the fees associated with proper disposal.
In the Litter Removal Team’s first two months of operation, the team cost taxpayers $40,000. The testing of the program will end on June 1, and the Dallas City Council will then decide whether to implement the program or not.
Earlier this month, Dallas Code Compliance hosted a “Trash Off” event to help reduce the amount of trash in the city. Citizens were encouraged to discard larger trash items, like furniture and hazardous waste.