DeKalb County launches major cleanup targeting illegal tire dumping across neighborhoods
DeKalb County leaders say illegal tire dumping has plagued neighborhoods for years, turning vacant properties into environmental and public safety hazards. Now, county officials are rolling out a major cleanup effort aimed at some of the worst dump sites across the county.
For Valeria Stewart, the problem has been unfolding just steps from her Lithonia home.
"For more than 20 years I've lived here," Stewart said. "And I actually saw them doing it — two guys and a young lady dumping tons of tires at the house around the corner."
Stewart says the dumping wasn't a one-time incident. She told CBS News Atlanta that the activity continued for months, often in the middle of the night.
"I tried to stop them and I called the police," Stewart said. "When police came, they said they couldn't do anything because the people claimed they had permission to put the tires there."
County officials say stories like Stewart's are far too common. DeKalb leaders have identified eight major illegal tire dump sites now included in the cleanup effort. So far, crews have removed more than 37,000 tires, using heavy equipment to haul them away.
CBS News Atlanta found another dump site just off the Northeast Expressway near DeKalb–Peachtree Airport — piles of tires abandoned behind what appears to be a vacant building.
County leaders are now calling the issue organized environmental crime, saying illegal dumping operations are often coordinated and ongoing. They say stronger enforcement will be critical to stopping the practice long-term.
After years of watching trucks pull in under the cover of darkness, Stewart says seeing crews clean up the site near her home brings relief — but she's hoping it doesn't stop there.
"I think it's great that the county is taking control," Stewart said. "They need to crack down on people dumping tires at vacant homes."
County leaders say the remaining dump sites are expected to be cleaned up by late December, weather permitting, and officials are pushing for stronger state laws to deter illegal dumping across Georgia.
