For Immediate Release

SHERMAN, August 30, 2012 – Dr. Susan Thomas, Executive Director of Texoma Council of Governments (TCOG) announced today the addition of contact resources on the TCOG website for reporting illegal dumping situations in the Texoma Region. Illegal dumping is defined in the Texas Health and Safety Code as disposing, allowing, or permitting the disposal of litter or other solid waste at a place that is not an approved solid waste site, including a place on or within 300 feet of a public highway, on a right-of-way, on other public or private property, or into inland or coastal water of the state.

The TCOG website, www.tcog.com, now has an email and phone hotline on the Municipal Solid Waste webpage that can be used by regional citizens for reporting illegal dumping situations that are encountered in Cooke, Grayson, and Fannin Counties. Dr. Thomas adds, “Reports of illegal dumping will be forwarded to the appropriate law enforcement office for investigation and prosecution.”

Illegal dumping runs the gamut from cigarette butts, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans all the way to tires and old discarded refrigerators. Each case requires someone’s time to pick up and properly dispose of the debris and many times puts a burden on local government budgets for proper cleanup.

The Texoma Council of Governments is a voluntary association of the local governments in Cooke, Fannin, and Grayson Counties. Established in 1968, the Texoma Council of Governments promotes economy and efficiency in the coordinated planning and development of the tri-county region through its community and economic development activities. Either directly, or through contractors, the Council provides housing, utility assistance, and weatherization services for low-income citizens in the region and assists the elderly through a variety of Area Agency on Aging programs. The Council also facilitates the delivery of grant funding for homeland security and criminal justice.