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Northeast KC frequent site for illegal dumping

Posted at 2:55 PM, Mar 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-21 20:06:51-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Every day Grover Murrell walks his dogs by a boarded-up house at 13th St. and Benton Blvd.

"The front looks like a dump. Looks like a city dump," he said of the dilapidated structure.

Bottles, bags and even shoes litter the front porch. The back is even worse, with trash pouring out of a garage and debris piled up in the yard.

"It's actually dangerous. I won't let my dogs go through that," Murrell said.

Last year, Neighborhoods & Housing Services spent roughly $2.2 million cleaning up messes like the one Murrell is describing.

This particular property is on the dangerous buildings list, but it was not yet on the city's radar for trash.

"Our illegal dumping investigators didn't even know this existed until you called," John Baccala, the spokesman for the department, said.

The city's investigators are responsible for nearly 320 square miles. Often they end up at abandoned lots or homes, and sadly many can be found in Kansas City's historic Northeast.

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"Here's one of the big issues we have. When someone sees a building in this type of condition, they automatically make it their dumpsite," Baccala said.

The good news for neighbors sick of seeing trash is that the illegal dumping division recently added three new investigators, bringing its total to five. They've also lined the city with more than 100 cameras to catch dumpers in the act.

Now that the city knows about the trash in Murrell's neighborhood, crews will come out to remove it. The house at 13th and Benton is up for demolition this spring.

"It'd help the looks of everything," Murrell said.

If you have an illegal dumping site to report, call 311.