Litter Abatement
Starting in 2008, the District implemented an ongoing-and-effective litter abatement program in the rights of way (ROW) that includes mowing, removing debris and tires, and more. The program has collected over 718 tons (equal to over 1.5 million pounds) of litter and debris and over 12,799 tires.
This program includes a crew that works 5 days/week on the major commercial corridors within the District to keep the public rights of way clean of litter and debris. Over 46 miles are abated twice monthly, including these corridors: Airline, Trail and I-610, Irvington, Jensen, Cavalcade, Tidwell, Crosstimbers, I-45 North (northbound) and I-45 North (southbound).
The team works rain or shine, wet or dry, and hot or cold.
Program Statistics
2008 – 2019 Totals
Tires Abated: 12,799
Trash Abated: 1,583,612 pounds
Year-to-Date (YTD) Litter Abatement:
Illegal Dumping
The litter abatement team picks up illegal dumping on a case-by-case basis.
Illegal Dumping Cameras
Working with Avenue CDC, we purchased illegal dumping cameras for $5,000. These cameras serviced 50+ businesses and commercial properties from January 2016 to December 2018. Depending on the severity of the case, the cameras were left on the property anywhere from two weeks to one month and helped solve multiple cases, including five illegal dumping cases, one Class C misdemeanor case, one theft case, four trespassing VICE cases and one felony arson case.
Partnership with the City of Houston
In June 2019, we began partnering with the City of Houston Solid Waste Department and Councilmember Cisneros to utilize disposal containers for illegally dumped tires and other illegal materials. This allows our team to clean up more sites and enables a better response time. We have collected more than 1,645 tires and 28,000 pounds of trash (last updated April 2020).
Underpass Initiative
From 2016 to 2019, we conducted a case-by-case cleanup along freeway underpasses. Since 2016, we have cleaned 21 locations, including I-45, I-610 and I-69.
Beautification Projects
Planting Trees
The Greater Northside Management District has partnered with Trees for Houston to plant 238 trees on rights of way in the District. The trees help shade neighborhoods, provide clean air, beautify streets and slow runoff.
We began planting trees along Jensen and I-69, Cavalcade and I-69, Jensen and Tidwell, Berry and Irvington, and Airline from I-610 to I-45 with the help of volunteers and the Litter Abatement Team.
Trash Bash
Trash Bash® was founded in 1994 by the Houston-Galveston Area Council and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality with seven sites and 3,000 volunteers. It has grown to 16 sites across the Galveston Bay Watershed and is currently managed by the Texas Conservation Fund and the Houston-Galveston Area Council.
In the Northside, Trash Bash® began in 1998 under the leadership of S. Hager with the cleanup of the Little White Oak Bayou. Since 2014, it has been led by the MD Anderson YMCA and the Greater Northside Management District. Each year the event draws approximately over 400 volunteers and over 12 partners and sponsors. With your help, we are looking forward to keeping areas of the Northside clean for many years to come.
We regret that the 2020 event could not be held due to the coronavirus. We look forward to seeing you in 2021.