Memphis Plagued By Illegal Dumpsites

(Memphis) A section of Egypt Church Road in Raleigh that people are using as a dumping ground is finally clean again.

Our On Your Side Investigators set up hidden cameras last year and caught several people dumping trash.  

The city made the dump site a priority, along with several others across the city and that’s effecting everyone in the city.

“I’ve even found medical supplies, medical debris back here. Needles.”

Kerry Sandefer says for a long time Egypt Church Road hasn’t been the most scenic of places for a stroll.

People who use the road have had to run an obstacle course of furniture, tires and even household garbage,

“Looks like somebody emptied out their freezer.”

Plastic bags full of cereal boxes, milk containers, candy wrappers and baby diapers havesent up “red flags” at the city’s public works department.

Andy Ashford is Deputy Director of Solid Waste Management, “When you see residential waste like that that’s in an area, it usually indicates someone is avoiding having to pay for residential collection in either a private development in the city or outside the city limits.”

The city has cleaned this stretch over and over again and was back Thursday and Friday.

An army of workers hauled off enough trash to make the road look almost picturesque.

But for every dump site cleared dozens more pop up.

The city is actively tracking and cleaning more than a hundred and fifty “recurring” dumpsites.

Ashford says these sites take workers and equipment from normal pickup routes, “As you know we’re having some difficult budget times now and things are lean. So we’re having to do more with less.”

But just picking up the trash doesn’t answer the big question, who’s dumping it?

Pastor Kevin Ferrell says Egypt Church Road looks great now, “Man they did a fantastic job.”

He says he’s in favor of anything that will keep the road behind his church clean and passable.

“If people know that they’re going to be prosecuted I would suspect that they will find an alternative to just throwing the trash on the side of the road.”

 There’s an active investigation going on right now to find out who’s dumping their trash in Raleigh.

We were told the city and county will patrol the area to make sure it stays clean.