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Trash pile in the middle of Baton Rouge causing problems for some residents

3 years 1 month 3 weeks ago Sunday, January 31 2021 Jan 31, 2021 January 31, 2021 11:39 PM January 31, 2021 in News
Source: WBRZ Staff

BATON ROUGE - Some concerned residents want something done about an acre of land in Baton Rouge that's covered in trash and debris.

"It should be treated the same way we treat sewage because it's so dangerous," Marie Constantine said.
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Constantine is one of several residents trying to draw attention to the trash covered area. It's located near Valley Forge Ave and I-12, in a property that belongs to LSU's Botanic Garden.

"I found out it wasn't LSU or my staff, but it was actually the people of Baton Rouge," Jeff Kuehny, Director of the Botanic Garden said.

Kuehny says the trash comes from people throwing stuff out of their car and on the ground. Trash is also picked up by stormwater and rain, and carried down Ward Creek, ending up in the area.

"It's a bit overwhelming, that this is a football field length of peoples house and the interstate and people pass by here daily not knowing what's sitting over here," resident, Brian Boudreaux said.

The trash also causes little dams in creeks, which the residents say could cause flooding and threaten nearby homes.

" If we had a litter catching device, in Ward Creek, not one piece of litter you see here would be here," Constantine said.

The equipment to maintain a clean area could cost less than $100,000, but to remove all of this debris and restore the area back to its natural state would cost about a million dollars.


"After the equipment is implemented then we can begin to clean up because if we clean this up now, the same thing is just going happen all over again," Kuehny said.

It's an expensive situation that these residents say will take some type of utility fee to maintain.

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