El Paso Matters – Tires, mattresses and other trash litter in El Paso. Here are 3 ways to reduce illegal dumping.

On a hot weekday afternoon, Rick Flores drove his gray Toyota Tacoma truck down a sandy dirt road in Horizon City. He passed piles of rubber tires, ripped couches, broken toilets and faded mattresses. Yucca plants were flowering as plastic bottles and spray cans lay half buried around them.

This patch of undeveloped land near residential homes is one of El Paso’s many unofficial junkyards.

Illegal dumping is so prevalent and widespread in the county that Flores and other residents have formed volunteer cleanup groups to tackle a small part of it each week. Even El Paso’s beloved Franklin Mountains State Park does not go unscathed – the park superintendent said he and other park employees spend every day removing trash, but the volume of garbage is too massive for their team alone.

“We are trying to control the bleeding, but we gotta stop the bleeding,” Flores said. “What I like when we have pick-ups is when they bring the kids out and they see the mess the adults are making. My hope is they learn, ‘Hey, there is a better way.’”

Flores, a retired city firefighter, formed the nonprofit Desert Rescue 915 with the goal of picking up garbage in one spot each week. The nonprofit collaborates with other cleanup groups, Sun City Pickers and Recker’s Outreach, to help beautify El Paso.

SEE ALSO: ‘It’s never ending:’ Illegal dumping persists as Franklin Mountains State Park expands

That afternoon, Flores pointed out the peeled carpet padding snaking out of the ground and slabs of flooring tile, possibly from house renovations. The type of construction materials and heavy-duty tires from semi-trailers indicate that commercial businesses contribute to illegal dumping, he said.

Residents of Horizon City and areas surrounding El Paso cannot access the city-run Citizen Collection Stations, forcing residents to wait for county drop-off events, pay private junk luggers or drive to the fee-based Clint landfill.

Illegal dumping reports also fall under various jurisdictions – city of El Paso if within city limits, the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office for the greater county.

The city of El Paso’s Environmental Services Department responded to 84 reports of illegal dumping within the city limits this year, as of April, according to a City Council presentation in May. From 2023 to 2025, the city responded to an average of 32 illegal dumping incidences a year.

The city plans to increase community cleanups with partner organizations from once a year in each of the eight districts to three times a year per district. A total of 24 cleanups – three in each district – would cost the city $43,200, according to the presentation.

Here are three ways El Pasoans can reduce litter:

Take your garbage to proper disposal sites or request a pickup

The city of El Paso has five Citizen Collection Stations where people can bring their residential garbage and recyclables:

• Northeast: 4501 Hondo Pass Drive
• Central: 2492 Harrison Ave.
• West Side: 121 Atlantic Road
• Lower Valley: 1034 Pendale Road
• East Side: 3510 Confederate Drive

City residents must bring their water bill and an ID that matches the address on the bill. The city has passes available online for residents without a water bill to access the Citizen Collection Stations. Residents can visit four times per month. Visit elpasoesd.net to search what items the stations accept.

City residents can also request curbside bulk trash pickup at $35 per 5 cubic yards, which is equivalent to about 10 gray trash bins. To request curbside pickup, call 915-212-6000 by 3 p.m. the previous day.

People who live in greater El Paso County and are not El Paso Water customers can take their bulk trash to the landfill at 2600 Darrington Road in Clint. Costs are:

• $16 per trip
• $3 per tire, $8 per tire with rim
• $20 per mattress
• $5 per refrigerator, must be empty

The Clint landfill does not accept liquids. Trucks hauling double-axel trailers require a permit. Visit elpasotexas.gov/environmental-services for more information.

Participate in a neighborhood cleanup

To join a scheduled trash pickup – trash bags and grabbers provided – follow one of these organizations:

• Sun City Pickers: linktr.ee/suncitypickers; Instagram: @suncitypickers
• Desert Rescue 915: desertrescue915.com; Instagram: @desertrescue915

Recker’s Outreach, which supports veterans transitioning to civilian life, helps veterans clean up their property. Instagram: @reckersoutreach.

El Paso Trash Mob encourages people to pick up litter on their street, snap a photo or video, then post it on Instagram and tag @ep_trash_mob.

The city is also developing a street adoption program as part of its “Beautify Our City” campaign, which invites people to commit to removing litter and debris from a one-mile segment of roadway four times a year for two years. The Texas Department of Transportation has a similar program for state roads.

Report illegal dumping

Illegal dumping is a misdemeanor and people caught can face fines up to $4,000, as well as jail time. Commercial dumpers face stricter fines and start at Class A or B misdemeanors, depending on the weight of trash.

To report illegal dumping in progress, call:

• City of El Paso: 311
• El Paso County Sheriff’s Office: 915-832-4408
• City of Socorro: 915-858-9237
• City of Horizon: 915-852-1047

The post Tires, mattresses and other trash litter in El Paso. Here are 3 ways to reduce illegal dumping. appeared first on El Paso Matters.

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