MACON, Ga. — Macon-Bibb County commissioners want to take a stand against 'being trashy.'
That's what Commissioner Valerie Wynn calls people who illegally dump trash around the county. To combat illegal dumping, commissioners voted Tuesday to spend $500,000 on some extra manpower to help them clean up big illegal dump sites. Part of the money would go toward another camera system. The county has been down that road before.
"It's ridiculous. It don't make no sense. Makes the neighborhood look bad," said Chris Jackson about a prominent illegal dump site near Pinson Street in south Macon.
When Jackson visits his friends nearby, it's impossible to miss. He's glad he's just visiting.
"I don't want to live around that. Yup. Yeah, they need to do something about that," Jackson said.
The county has cleaned it up several times. The trash keeps coming back.
"No matter how much we clean up, this area in particular, people just continue to dump," said Commissioner Bill Howell.
The area even came up at Tuesday's Macon-Bibb County commission meeting. Commissioner Virgil Watkins proposed spending $500,000 to contract gig workers to clean up trash. Then, Howell suggested taking some of that money to install cameras at illegal dump sites.
"Honestly, I look forward to getting them up in certain areas where we do have the problem. This is one of those areas, and you know, beware," he said.
Mayor Lester Miller and Commissioner Howell say the last cameras the county had around town disappeared. Howell says the new cameras will be high enough and sturdy enough that people can't get to them.
"I think that'll be a good idea. I think that'll be a real good idea," Jackson said.
Jackson offered another suggestion he feels is more permanent.
"Put something here," he said. "Because the street has nothing going on right here. Nothing going on, so they're going to dump it here every time."
Howell says if the commission approves it next week, it'll go to Code Enforcement Director JT Ricketson's office for his staff to start figuring out which camera system is best.
He believes people keep dumping trash because they don't know there are options to get rid of bulk waste.
Macon-Bibb County offers two convenience centers for people to use free of charge. The first one is on 11th street in downtown Macon, near the entrance of the old dump.
It's open all week from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The other is at 4214 Fulton Mill Road behind Animal Welfare.
It's open Thursday through Sunday at the same times. You must live in Macon-Bibb County to use the centers.