Several civic-minded Puebloans are commended for taking on the challenge of joining city and county leaders on a trash task force to combat illegal dumping in Pueblo. Unsightly trash heaps – big and small – have been a vexing problem here for many, many years. It’s time to fix it once and for all.

Pueblo County Commissioner Garrison Ortiz said the impetus to form the task force came after community members cleaned up Pueblo Motorsports Park one day – only to see more trash there the next day.

Ortiz said leaders need to come up with a better solution than just sending code enforcement and health department employees out to deal with each situation one at a time. The task force – Ortiz, City Councilman Ed Brown, the Pueblo West Metro District board’s Judy Leonard and several community members – has explored ways to deter illegal dumping. They include camera surveillance of known problem sites, more health enforcement resources, increased fees assessed against violators and the like.

Read more at The Pueblo Chieftain.