SAN ANTONIO – As soon as Patrick Garcia pulls onto his street, the smell of trash consumes his car.
“It’s bad,” Garcia said. “It’s really bad.”
He owns property on Quintana Road, and the sidewalks around his lot are usually buried under debris.
“I spend time sweeping the street myself,” Garcia said. “It’s costing me money.”
A sign reads “No Dumping” on Garcia’s property, but it is covered by graffiti and overgrown branches. Garcia said it is the only warning label seen on the street.
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The city has identified Quintana Road as a major illegal dumping site in San Antonio. Each week, crews from the city’s Solid Waste Management Department clear the street of trash.
Neighbors said the problem has persisted for years. More recently, the illegal dumping has gotten worse.
“I’ve lived here all my life,” said Angelita Olvera, president of the Keep South San Proud Neighborhood Association. “We’re tired of this.”
The Solid Waste Management Department said it struggles to enforce local illegal dumping laws because doing so requires crews to catch offenders in the act.
Solid Waste confirmed Quintana Road is one of the areas where the department has worked with San Antonio police to conduct several surveillance efforts. So far, at least one arrest has been made in this effort.
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With the new budget cycle, city officials said they are looking at options for new signage and surveillance.
Garcia said a solution cannot come soon enough.
“If this is one of the worst dumping sites, put lights out,” Garcia said. “And the city has resources to put cameras, and I think that would put a big stop to this mess.”
For more information on the city’s budget cycle push, click here.
