City issues $72,000 in fines for illegal dumping after using surveillance to track offenders
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ST. LOUIS, MO (KMOV) — As families prepare Thanksgiving dinners, cooks in the kitchen are likely throwing away more trash than usual.
But some city residents are seeing extreme amounts of garbage outside their back door thanks to illegal dumping.
Pat Miller has lived in St. Louis more than 70 years, and said people dump trash outside her North City door every week.
“It’s depressing. It’s very depressing,” she said. “Illegal dumping takes away the pride in our neighborhood. It’s something that seems uncontrollable.”
But the city is trying to change that. Thanks to 200 hidden surveillance cameras throughout the city, officials have cited 418 people for illegal dumping, up from fewer than 300 last year.
The accused violators have been fined $72,000, which is $12,000 more in fines than last year.
The biggest jump is in convictions, which doubled in 2019 to 80.
The progress is encouraging for residents, but Miller believes there is always room for improvement, not only for the city.
“It’s a dual effort on the part of residents and the city. We need someplace we can call and get a direct response to this issue,” she said.
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