HOUSTON — Houston wants its residents to stop treating the city like a dump.
Officials and police have spent years fighting back against people who leave mattresses, furniture and massive amounts of debris on streets or in empty lots, rather than disposing of them properly, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Schoolchildren sometimes have to walk by mounds of garbage and old tires in a city that has global aspirations. City officials said they worry the problem scares off investors and reinforces negative perceptions of some neighborhoods.