NEW ORLEANS — Illegal dumping, especially of tires, continues to cause problems, especially in New Orleans East.
The Department of Transportation and Development has picked up 30,000 tires in the East since January, with crews picking up as many as 300-500 a day.
Scott Boyle from the DOTD says clean-up crews have made a difference, and we can attest to that. Eyewitness News told you about the tires on Michoud Boulevard back in October.
"Since we have been picking up in October, we’ve picked up 7,500 tires so far just at Michoud and I-10 alone,” Boyle said.
“We’re limited by how much the recycling facility can take,” he said. “We’ve been working every weekend, Friday for tires, Saturday and Sunday for other construction and debris.”
Meanwhile, on Monday, plumes of black smoke covered New Orleans as crews worked to extinguish a huge car fire on Old Gentility Road in the East.
Firefighters said two cars and some tires appeared to be dumped illegally before they were set on fire.
“Whenever there is a build up of tires or really any type of construction material or debris, there is a risk of a fire hazard especially under a bridge structure," Boyle said.
As for those cleaning up this mess made by others, the road to beauty is still a long way off as long as there are tires.
“We’ve noticed our barricades have been moved, we’ve seen evidence of more construction debris being dumped, we’re picking up and more’s coming in," Boyle said.
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