WBRZ - Baton Rouge

Tagged News

• Illegal dumping posing potential health hazard Play Video

  April 18, 2013 5:47 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Illegal dumping is a messy problem in Baton Rouge, and now city officials are concerned it's creating a health hazard. Some streets in Baton Rouge are littered with toys, trash and used tires. Department of Public Works says they have been dealing with dumping for years.... more »

• Trash talk in Pointe Coupee Parish Play Video

  April 1, 2013 4:51 PM

  NEW ROADS - About one in 20 people in Pointe Coupee Parish don't pay their garbage bill but still get service, according to parish officials. That means out of about 10,000 parish customers, around 500 are skipping out on the bill. "I think its very unfair. They're getting... more »

• Fire sparks at home, woman escapes

  March 12, 2013 11:35 AM

  BAKER - A woman was able to escape as fire ripped through her home. It happened around 11 a.m. in the 1200 block of McHugh Road near Groom Road. Officials say a woman who was there at the time of the blaze was able to escape without injuries.... more »

• St. Martin garbage, trash collection starts in May

  March 10, 2013 10:42 AM

  ST. MARTINVILLE, La. - Residents in rural St. Martin Parish will be required to pay for garbage and trash service beginning in May. Parish President Guy Cormier tells The Advocate the rural areas also will see a new automated pick-up system that requires residents to use 96-gallon roll carts provided... more »

• Leaders want parish to join trash pickup business Play Video

  February 25, 2013 2:15 PM

  NEW ROADS - For almost five years Progressive Waste Solutions has taken out the trash in Pointe Coupee Parish, but administrator Jim Bello is a part of a movement that wants the parish to handle the duties instead. "It's about $500,000 that we feel we can save if we... more »

• Waterways reopen in Ascension, Livingston

  February 18, 2013 11:25 AM

  PORT VINCENT - Waterways in Ascension and Livingston parish reopened today at noon after trash buildup shut them down last week. Bayou Manchac, the Amite River and the Diversion Canal are back open to recreational boat traffic. Emergency officials closed them on Friday because of debris-like tree limbs... more »

• Parades, community service on King day in La.

  January 21, 2013 4:25 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Parades, speeches, prayer and community service marked the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday around Louisiana. In Baton Rouge people painted homes and cleaned school campuses as part of a day of service organized by the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Many marchers held pictures of King as... more »

• Students arrested after loaded gun found at school

  December 18, 2012 5:49 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Deputies on the School Drug Task Force arrested two East Baton Rouge students today after a gun was found in a garbage can outside Park Forest Middle School. Spokesperson Casey Rayborn Hicks with the EBR Sheriff's Office said the two 8th grade students, ages 13 and... more »

• Residents upset about new trash schedule in Iberville Parish Play Video

  November 13, 2012 3:41 PM

  PLAQUEMINE- Residents in Iberville Parish aren't happy with a stench that hangs in the air. The Parish recently switched to a new trash schedule a couple of months ago to accommodate a tight budget. Right now, residents only receive trash pickup once a week. Morticia Pierce is concerned for... more »

• Pointe Coupee considers trash collection proposal

  September 27, 2012 8:41 AM

  NEW ROADS - The Pointe Coupee Parish Police Jury has decided to pay a private consultant $5,000 to compile a comprehensive study detailing what it would take to initiate a parish-operated trash collection program. The jury voted 6-5 this week to take the step after an official with Progressive... more »

• Trash pick-up costing Port Allen Play Video

  August 2, 2012 5:54 PM

  PORT ALLEN- After a rate increase on Wednesday, Mayor Roger Bergeron noticed the cost of trash pickup would put a significant dent in the city's budget, to the tune of nearly $320,000. "For some time now, the city has been subsidizing the recycling portion of the garbage contract and... more »

• Port Allen still talking about trash

  August 2, 2012 10:37 AM

  PORT ALLEN - Port Allen Mayor Roger Bergeron told the city council that as of Aug. 1 and lacking a trash service rate increase, the city stands to lose about $316,000 during the four years left in its contract with Progressive Waste Solutions. Bergeron attributed the loss to a $3.29... more »

• LSU Lakes trash bog causing headache Play Video

  July 24, 2012 5:31 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A trashy bog building up in a canal near the LSU Lakes is causing a headache for hundreds of runners and bikers that frequent the area. The trash is caught in a trap set up by DPW to keep the garbage from flowing into the lakes nearby,... more »

• Bidding war continues for Ascension Parish trash Play Video

  July 7, 2012 7:47 PM

  ASCENSION PARISH-The bidding war is on in Ascension Parish for trash pick up. Residents say they want their recycling picked up at their home, and trash service twice a week. Now the parish government has opened up bids for contractors to see what three companies can be right... more »

• Ascension Parish trash pickup could get cheaper Play Video

  June 25, 2012 6:06 PM

  ASCENSION - Over the next two months, parish leaders will examine feedback from multiple garbage collection companies and decide if the parish will contract with just one for the unincorporated areas of Ascension Parish. For years, the decision of which company to hire has been left up to individual... more »

• Iberville Parish to cut back trash collection

  June 20, 2012 7:11 AM

  PLAQUEMINE- Several members of the Iberville Parish Council have expressed displeasure over Parish President J. Mitchell Ourso's recent decision to scale back garbage collection for parish residents. Trash pickup occurs twice a week. Ourso informed the council he has decided to reduce that schedule to once-a-week pickup for... more »

• Ohio pups abandoned in suitcase now in high demand

  April 13, 2012 12:29 PM

  TOLEDO, Ohio - Six bulldog-mix puppies that were stuffed into a suitcase and discovered next to a trash bin in Ohio aren't going to have trouble finding a new home. An animal shelter in Toledo says they've received hundreds of calls from people who want to adopt the 4-week-old pups.... more »

• Trash piles up in canal near LSU Play Video

  April 4, 2012 6:42 PM

  BATON ROUGE - It's tough to keep up with the piles of trash that seem to never end. Take a walk on the Carlotta Street bridge over the canal, and you can see why. Styrofoam cups, beer cans, and any kind of trash you can think of is smashed... more »

• Woman falls down trash chute reaching for phone

  March 12, 2012 5:37 PM

  ATLANTA - Amanda Still couldn't let her cell phone slip through her fingers. She tried to retrieve her phone from her apartment building trash chute. Instead she fell down head first into the chute. Still said she accidentally tossed her cell phone away with the garbage. Once she realized what... more »

• Suspect arrested for trash can fires Play Video

  January 4, 2012 7:54 AM

  BATON ROUGE - Police arrested one person after more than a dozen trash cans were set on fire in the Scotlandville area this morning. Officers arrested Raymond Gilmore in suspicion of 16 counts of simple arson. Gilmore is accused of lighting plastic trash cans on fire outside of... more »

• New driver's ed requirements target litter Play Video

  January 2, 2012 6:16 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A new law went into effect Sunday that hopes to squash litterbugs before they become licensed drivers. The new law requires driver's education classes to teach students about the consequences of litter. Senator Fred Mills, who sponsored the bill, told News 2 he hopes targeting a... more »

• EBR 311 system could get revamp to improve service Play Video

  December 28, 2011 10:08 PM

  BATON ROUGE- The East Baton Rouge Parish Department of Public Works is hoping to rework its community service hotline to be more efficient and quick. The 311 service line has been open since 2005 for people to call in complaints about sewage, drainage, streets and trash. But city leaders... more »

• New trash collection schedule for Denham Springs residents

  December 5, 2011 2:52 AM

  DENHAM SPRINGS - Residents in Denham Springs can expect to see changes in their trash and recycling collection schedules. Beginning today, residents living west of Range Ave. will have garbage collection on Monday and Thursday. Trash service for oversized items will only be collected on Mondays. more »

• Trucks haul away fire fuel as WVU-LSU game looms

  September 22, 2011 1:24 PM

  MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Fire inspectors and workers are combing Morgantown, removing furniture and trash from the porches of hundreds of rental homes. Fire Capt. Ken Tennant says the cleanup has been under way since 9 a.m. Thursday. Many truckloads are being hauled away as the city tries to... more »

• Flood debris along Old River hauled away

  September 20, 2011 5:19 PM

  LACOUR - Heavy machines picked up and hauled away flood debris that has been sitting in piles along the road near Old River for months. The trash is what was left behind when camp owners gutted their homes after nearly 20-feet of water flooded the Old River area in... more »

• Moon Trash

  September 6, 2011 7:31 PM

  NASA released some photos taken by a robotic spaceship circling the moon that show tracks and trash left by Apollo astronauts in visits from 1969 to 1972. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photos show the path of astronauts and ruts left by the moon buggy plus backpacks pitched out of... more »

• More than 39 tons of trash removed from Bayou Manchac

  August 23, 2011 5:36 AM

  BAYOU MANCHAC- Crews in Asension Parish removed more than 39 tons of trash and a fallen tree over the weekend from Bayou Manchac. Thirty one volunteers from Ascension and East Baton Rouge Parish participated in the two-day event and removed by hand over 15 cubic yards or 1.5 tons... more »

• Bayou Manchac Cleanup Underway

  August 17, 2011 5:39 PM

  BAYOU MANCHAC- Work crews used heavy equipment to lift trash out of Bayou Manchac. Five dump truck loads of debris were taken from an near the Highway 73 bridge by midday. Ascension Parish officials say Bayou Manchac is listed as a scenic waterway. That means things like trees... more »

• Litter court called "ineffective"

  August 4, 2011 5:40 PM

  BATON ROUGE- After two years, only three inspectors are left on the payroll for the Baton Rouge Litter Court. The program, which started with a dedicated inspector in each of the 12 districts, is now seen as ineffective. "Three inspectors cannot cover the entire parish, we've got to have... more »

• Abandoned subdivision a burden on neighbors, DPW

  July 21, 2011 10:30 PM

  BATON ROUGE- A belly-up development is over-grown and is now a dump-site in Baton Rouge. Street lights are in place, sidewalks line the fronts of intended properties and even utilities are ready for hook up, but high grass and weeds have moved into the Magnolia Trace subdivision off... more »

• Amite River filling up with trash

  June 3, 2011 6:15 PM

  DENHAM SPRINGS- Trash is becoming a big issue on the Amite River where thousands of people frequent the water every month. "Up north of where the tubing starts it's very pristine, and afterwards it's noticeable and it's just gotten to be very frustrating and every year it gets worse,... more »

• Dockside shrimping ends in Sabine national refuge

  April 23, 2011 10:54 AM

  NEW ORLEANS- People were so piggy in the Sabine National Wildlife Refuge that they won't be allowed to cast nets for shrimp from dockside any more. They can still toss the nets from boats, with longer hours for that sort of shrimping. The 124,511-acre refuge in Cameron Parish, the... more »

• Naturalist: University Lake filled with trash

  January 21, 2011 6:21 PM

  Every time Claude Nall kayaks on University Lake, he picks up trash. Not just a beer can here and there, but buckets and buckets of trash. Some of the junk in the lake is too big to fit in the back of his kayak, like old furniture and industrial mop... more »

• LDWF: Call Litterbug Hotline

  November 12, 2010 5:10 AM

  BATON ROUGE - The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is urging people to call their 24-hour litterbug hotline to report people throwing trash from a vehicle, trash blowing out of a pickup truck bed, or illegal trash or dump sites. Vehicular reports should include the road location and vehicle's make,... more »

• Vandals trash Springfield HS football field

  September 17, 2010 7:14 PM

  Vandals caused thousands of dollars worth of damage to the football field at Springfield High School. Alumni said they think it could be the work of a rival school, but police don’t have any suspects. News 2’s Rob Krieger got answers on how the vandals trashed the field. more »

• Alexandria considers changes in trash pickup

  August 30, 2010 6:46 AM

  Alexandria officials are considering changes in trash pickup schedules as they search for ways to make pickup more efficient. Mayor Jacques Roy says sanitation department workers are currently "triaging" the trash pickup because of having fewer employees. Several city councilmen are voicing their concerns about trash sitting for weeks at... more »

• Family gets more time to clean woman's home

  July 7, 2010 8:52 AM

  The Webster Parish Police Jury has approved giving an elderly woman's family until Sept. 1 to clean her mobile home or see it condemned. Betty Johnson's home was targeted for condemnation after an ambulance call during which ammonia from cat urine caused one crew member to faint and made another... more »

• Oiled trash dumped in Ascension Parish

  June 17, 2010 6:14 PM

  So far, 1,900 tons of oiled trash are being dumped in Sorrento. Things such as used boom and protective suits for workers cleaning the soiled marshes are finding their final resting places at the BFI-Colonial Landfill. People who live nearby, like Harris Martinez, don't like it. "Anything hazardous, and they... more »

• Study shows costs of litter

  May 18, 2010 5:12 AM

  A study done for "Keep Louisiana Beautiful" says state and local governments in Louisiana spend an estimated $40 million a year to clean up litter. Keep Louisiana Beautiful says litter is an avoidable and costly problem for taxpayers. The survey found that one-third of the cost of roadside mowing involves... more »

• Crews clean up Mardi Gras trash

  February 17, 2010 4:36 PM

  Cleaning crews got to work today in the French Quarter, after revellers left nearly four thousand tons of trash behind. Officials at SDT Waste and Debris say this year's trash was comparable to last year's Mardi Gras. According to the company, the most trash they have cleaned up was... more »

• New Orleans trash man debuts on TLC

  February 10, 2010 10:26 AM

  New Orleans trash mogul Sidney Torres is hoping his multi-million-dollar garbage business will make for good TV. Torres and his SDT Waste and Debris Services star in a television pilot premiering on the TLC Network Thursday called "Trashmen." The show will focus on Torres, a real estate developer who was... more »

• Tires illegally dumped on Oklahoma Street

  January 19, 2010 4:34 PM

  Someone is using Oklahoma Street in Baton Rouge as their personal dumping ground. Dozens of used tires were thrown next to train tracks running along River Road. On either side of this mess are old television sets, broken furniture and other refuse. East Baton Rouge Parish officials say... more »

• New trash cans placed in EBR Parish

  November 17, 2009 5:18 PM

  Leaders in East Baton Rouge Parish are placing 70 new trash cans across the area, from the Sherwood Forest area to North Baton Rouge. The first 25 are already in place, with 45 more coming by the end of the year. The new cans replace older ones, which date... more »

• 2 Your Health for Nov. 13

  November 13, 2009 5:41 PM

  This 2 Your Health report includes information about a free health clinic in New Orleans, pieces of trash found in drug vials, laser therapy that may help with chronic neck pain, a technique to re-grow breast tissue and the number of smokers in the U.S. more »

• Cleaning crews tackle LSU's campus

  October 11, 2009 4:05 PM

  Cleaning crews are picking up around LSU after tons of trash were left behind from this weekend's football game. Hundreds of workers started filling bags of trash from all corners of the campus early this morning. One crew expects the clean-up to last most of the day. So far, they've... more »

• EBR litter court hears cases Thursday

  September 30, 2009 9:46 PM

  The East Baton Rouge Parish litter court is set to hold its first full docket Thursday in the Metro Council chambers. Administrative Officer Doug Olson will preside over the 19 cases. Litter court started August 1 and targets problems like trash, debris, overgrown weeds and grass. Fines for violations... more »

• Baton Rouge Litter Court hears first cases

  September 24, 2009 6:17 PM

  The Baton Rouge Litter Court heard its first cases today. Four cases were heard after months of planning and hundreds of evidence pictures were. The court was created to enforce five city ordinances: tall grass, debris or trash on property, leaving trash cans out too long, dirty pools, and... more »

• Group cleans areas around Baton Rouge

  September 19, 2009 5:40 PM

  Keep Baton Rouge Beautiful, Inc held it's annual Beach Sweep Clean-up, Saturday. The group, along with dozens of high school students collected trash and debris around several areas in Baton Rouge. Most of the clean-up was focused around waterways. Organizers say, cleaning the city improves the quality of life... more »