SOUTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Neighbors in South Fulton County want action after someone dumped hundreds of tires right near where kids play.
People who live nearby told Channel 2's Audrey Washington they were promised a cleanup, but the tire dump keeps growing larger.
“There’s, like, hundreds and hundreds of tires there,” neighbor Sharee Sims said.
She said she never knew that just a few feet up the road from her East Point home sat the illegal dumping ground along South Commerce Drive.
Barricades block part of the road, but it’s clear the people responsible manage to make their way around the barricades to dump the tires, just steps away from an apartment complex.
Channel 2 Action News first reported on the tire dump in 2018. After our story aired, officials promised people in the area some progress.
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But months later, the tires are still piled high and the dumping continues.
“This is dangerous, hazmat situation and it’s also a haven for mosquitoes. And we have an apartment complex over there filled with kids, and this has to be dealt with,” a neighbor told Washington, asking not to be identified.
The neighbor told Washington that there’s big savings in illegal dumping.
“They don’t want to pay the fees to have the tires dumped.”
As for Sims, she said she has spotted some strange cars and trucks parked near the dumping site recently.
Now she plans to work with her neighbors to at least try to catch the people responsible. Still she wants the city’s help.
“Clean it up and find out who’s doing it. It needs to be taken care of immediately,” Sims said.
On Monday, the city of East Point sent Channel 2 Action News a statement, saying:
"Safety and the quality of life of our residents remain the top priorities for the City of East Point. In September of 2018, Code Enforcement mailed a certified compliance notice to the two property owners who own the property on South Commerce Drive. Both owners were advised that they had thirty days to remove the tires. While one of the owners cleared the tires from his lot, the other owner resides in North Carolina and has failed to take responsibility of removing the tires. Code Enforcement has worked diligently to address the illegal dumping of tires and the City of East Point is exploring a variety of legal options against the owner to get the remaining tires removed from the South Commerce location."
Anyone caught littering in the East Point could face up to a $1,200 fine.
Cox Media Group
