Summerlin Desert Clean-up removes tons of trash

More than 325 tons of abandoned furniture, landscape waste, construction spoils and trash were removed from more than 200 acres of public and private land during the Summerlin Desert Clean-up event Oct. 17 near Maule Avenue and Hualapai Way. According to Amy Irani, environmental health supervisor for the Southern Nevada Health District, the amount of trash and debris makes it the largest voluntary cleanup organized by a private entity in Southern Nevada.

"The Howard Hughes Corp. took the initiative to lead this cleanup event by pulling together a broad partnership," Irani said. "Having a private corporation voluntarily organize a cleanup of this magnitude is unprecedented in our valley."

The cleanup area encompassed land shared by The Howard Hughes Corp., developer of Summerlin; the Bureau of Land Management; Clark County right-of-way and other private developers.

"Illegal dumpers don't differentiate between public and private land, so we didn't either," said Tom Warden, senior vice president of community and government relations for The Howard Hughes Corp. Warden conceived the idea of the cleanup and spearheaded the effort that involved hundreds of volunteers, multiple agencies and more than a dozen professional contractors.

According to Warden, the project grew in size and scope throughout the planning stages as multiple organizations and corporations came onboard to offer assistance.

"Undoubtedly, this event was a great success because of the collaborative efforts of many key partnerships," he said.

In addition to The Howard Hughes Corp., event organizers included Don't Trash Nevada, the University of Nevada Las Vegas Public Lands Institute, Get Outdoors Nevada, Bureau of Land Management, Southern Nevada Health District and Clark County.

Several local contractors also supported the event, contributing both heavy machinery as well as manpower. They included Panacea Services, KBeech Enterprise, TBL Landscape, Nevada Ready Mix, Par 3 Landscape and Maintenance, ValleyCrest Landscape and Maintenance, The Groundkeeper, Southern Nevada Paving and TruGreen LandCare. Republic Services was also a major partner and contributed 19 dumpsters and significant manpower to pick up all the trash at the conclusion of the cleanup.

More than 200 citizens also volunteered their time to remove the small trash items.

"Volunteers of all ages from all parts of the valley came out to support this event," Warden said. "This is not an isolated problem -- illegal dumping occurs throughout the entire Las Vegas Valley. The more people we engage in this effort, the more awareness we bring to the problem and the sooner we'll be able to eradicate dumping in our valley."

According to Irani, fines for illegal dumping start at $1,800. Valley residents are encouraged to report dumpers by calling 759-0600. The day, time and license plate number is required to report an incident, and a photograph helps but is not necessary. A reward program is currently in place for reports that result in a fine.

Beyond the cleanup, The Howard Hughes Corp. is working with government organizations to create an ongoing stewardship program to prevent future dumping in the area through increased signage, more robust enforcement, partnerships with nearby residents and increased rewards for reporting illegal dumpers.

"It's not just about the cleanup," Warden said. "It's about being better stewards of our desert environment. We all need to do our part to maintain our pristine desert home."

The majority of items removed during the Summerlin Desert Clean-up were items that Republic Services would have picked-up from its customers during routine curbside trash service.

"People unnecessarily go out of their way to break the law, haul trash out to the desert and risk getting a fine," said Bob Coyle, vice president of Republic Services Las Vegas. "It doesn't make any sense."

A complete list of items Republic Services will pick-up curbside is available online at republicservicesvegas.com.

For more information on desert dumping, visit southernnevadahealthdistrict.org.

For more information on Summerlin, visit summerlin.com or call 791-4500.