Helena-West Helena launches new program to crack down on illegal dumping

Helena-West Helena has rolled out a new illegal dumping enforcement program aimed at the trash piles, roadside debris and vacant-lot dumping that have become familiar sights in parts of town. The city is now pairing cleanup with enforcement, putting Lakesha Williams, the city’s code officer, at the center of a response that reaches beyond hauling away bags and broken furniture.

The city’s code enforcement department says its job is to protect public safety, preserve property values and improve quality of life by enforcing rules on property maintenance and land use. That includes blight, overgrown properties, unsafe structures, businesses operating in the city and construction-related code compliance. In practical terms, that means dumping complaints can now be handled alongside other neighborhood violations instead of being treated as isolated cleanup calls.

The Street & Sanitation Department gives the program its muscle on the ground. It handles routine hard trash collection, street and pothole repairs, drainage maintenance, park upkeep and removal of roadway debris. The city also says private contractors are responsible for removing their own debris, a detail that could matter in neighborhoods where construction waste has been left behind after work crews move on. Residents who see dumping near alleys, road edges or around abandoned structures can reach Street & Sanitation at 870-572-5665.

The city’s landfill system shows the scale of the issue. The Helena-West Helena Regional Landfill handles solid waste from Phillips, Lee and St. Francis counties and lists a tipping fee of $35.00 per ton. The landfill asks haulers to tarp waste, a reminder that the city is trying to manage both legal disposal and the roadside mess that comes when loads blow loose or are dumped illegally. The landfill office can be reached at 870-228-5022.

Arkansas law gives the crackdown real teeth. State rules prohibit illegal dumping of solid waste, creating or furthering an illegal dump site and, in some cases, dumping on a person’s own land when it creates a nuisance or health hazard. The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality says licensed environmental officers can inspect suspected dump sites, collect evidence and issue citations. Enforcement can move through civil complaints, citations or criminal action by a prosecuting attorney.

The biggest test for Helena-West Helena will be whether the program changes what people see in places that have taken the brunt of the problem, including downtown corridors, roads leading to the Delta Grind Bike Ride, Phillips Street and areas around Storm Creek. Dumping does more than look bad. It can clog drainage, draw pests, create fire hazards and add cleanup costs for taxpayers and already stretched city crews. Regular city council meetings on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. will likely be one place where residents hear how the city plans to keep the crackdown from becoming just another cleanup promise.