MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The city of Myrtle Beach is trying to clean up waste left on the side of downtown streets.
Earlier this week, the city said it hired two code enforcement officers and would add more cameras to look out for illegal dumping. The goal is to stop people from leaving large trash on the side of downtown streets.
“People come out and they just throw stuff here,” said Albert Bethea, a resident on the corner of Flagg Street and 3rd Avenue North, pointing to a pile of waste left near a dumpster.
Bethea says waste left on the side of the road is a big problem in his neighborhood.
“I’ve noticed TVs, dressers, couches,” Bethea said. “Some of the mattresses and stuff, I’ve walked through and found dirty needles and stuff on the ground. It’s a bad eyesore.”
Bethea’s corner is one of 11 locations where the city says it’s adding surveillance cameras to catch people dumping illegally. Some locations may have more than one camera.
The cameras will be near downtown dumpsters and are expected to cost less than $20,000.
“For the businesses, the property owners and even the homeowners who live east of Kings Highway, there are legal ways that they need to take care of their property,” said city spokesperson Mark Kruea. “We want to enforce that.”
The city says it already has about 800 cameras throughout Myrtle Beach. Two new code enforcement officers will look out for dumping violations.
The city says the cameras may also help catch more serious crimes.
“So there certainly would be a secondary benefit to having those cameras,” Kruea said. “It’s just another set of eyes in that central business district area.”
While Bethea says he’s not sure if the cameras will work, he hopes residents will help keep his neighborhood clean.
“It is our responsibility because we all live here in this community,” Bethea said. “We have children that live here in this area. We have the school buses that come here.”
The city already installed cameras at some locations and the goal is to have them all in place by May.