Gulfport to public forum on garbage/debris collection

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - “People dump their stuff on the side of the road. It’s unacceptable.”

It’s one of the reasons why Deb Hilgeman and others started One Clean Gulfport, a nonprofit organization dedicated to taking out the trash in the city.

“People are upset. We’re all upset about the dumping and the blight and the litter. The city can only do so much,” Hilgeman said.

Gulfport Ward 6 Councilman R. Lee Flowers said his inbox is jammed with messages from citizens wanting answers about the trash problem in Gulfport.

“I know every council member says the same thing, and the mayor gets about seven times as many. You can’t drive down a city street here in Gulfport and not see something sitting out by the road, whether it be a mattress or a pile of limbs that’s waiting for someone to address it,” Flowers said.

That’s why the city is holding a public forum on this issue Tuesday at city hall from 3 p.m. -5 p.m.

“Right now is a good time to address all of it because we have a contract coming up for our garbage cans and recycling, so this is a good time to look at it holistically and see what we want to change and do things differently,” Flowers added.

He and others said something’s got to be done to take out the trash.

“It’s about changing attitudes because the city has a lot on its plate. Hopefully, we can get people out there volunteering,” Higelman added.

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