It's much worst: Salado Creek trash

It's a lot of plastic, much of what have not been disposed properly; therefore, they found its way to the streams and eventually to the oceans. As well noted, its a threat to marine life. In this case, Salado Creek flows into the San Antonio River which in turn flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Storms rolled through the San Antonio area during the first week of February 2022, thus flooding the creek. Along with it came the trash from various places where it had been dropped such as parking lots and not properly disposed in trash bins. The creek areas below bridges such as the I-410 expressway are completely littered. It's obvious: people continue to throw trash over the railing as they pass over a creek.

The EPA had developed a profile of a typical illegal dumper. These offenders include locals, construction and landscaping contractors, scrap yard operators, waste removers, and automobile and tire repair shops. They dump to avoid waste collection fees or to save time. An operator has a pickup truck load of refuse; a bridge in a low-traffic area becomes a convenient means of dumping. To them, it's a timesaver. They hope that they do not get caught. In regards of the environment, they do not care.

In some cases, property owners will charge others to dump on their properties, which is also illegal.

What can be done?

Contact your city council member and suggest "trash cams." Developed by the French, these cams are camouflaged and can be mounted on trees. They usually cost $200. We made it easy; here's the list of our city council members:

• D1 - Mario Bravo D1 Email
• D2 - Jalen McKee-Rodriguez D2 Email
• D3 - Phyllis Viagran D3 Email
• D4 - Dr. Adriana Rocha García D4 Email
• D5 - Teri Castillo D5 Email
• D6 - Melissa Cabello Havrda D6 Email
• D7 - Ana Sandoval D7 Email
• D8 - Manny Peláez D8 Email
• D9 - John Courage D9 Email
• D10 - Clayton Perry D10 Email

Report illegal dumping. Call 311 or visit Report-Illegal-Dumping.

Create an adopt a spot group. For details, visit Adopt a Spot.

History

Swedish engineer Sten Gustaf Thulin invented the single-use plastic bag during the early 1960s. The packing company Celloplast of Norrköping, Sweden developed the method of forming a simple one-piece bag by folding, welding, and die-cutting a flat tube of plastic. Celloplast held the patent worldwide in 1965.

—SRR Features