Council Pushes Tire Dumping Fix in District A

Lake Charles officials weigh grants and an amnesty program after tires sat on two streets for nearly seven months.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in City Hall

Council Pushes Tire Dumping Fix in District A

Live Poll

Do you trust your local government to act quickly on neighborhood problems like dumping?

Councilman Ronnie Harvey urged city action at the Oct. 27 council meeting against illegal tire dumping along See Street and North Shattuck Street in District A, where tires have sat for almost seven months. Council member Donald Fondel proposed a committee to develop a plan, and Mayor Marshall Simien said the city would work to find a solution.

Why it matters

Residents in Lake Charles have been dealing with the visible eyesore for nearly half a year, and the council is weighing how to remove the tires and prevent further dumping. The discussion reflects the city's broader effort to hold scrap yard owners accountable for illegal disposal.

The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality grant could reimburse the city up to $20,000 in tire removal costs, while LDEQ caps tire turnover at processing centers at five per day. Officials have not yet confirmed the total number of tires or the removal cost.

The players

Ronnie Harvey

Lake Charles City Councilman who pressed the council to act on illegal tire dumping in District A.

Donald Fondel

Lake Charles council member who proposed forming a committee to address the tire dumping problem.

Marshall Simien

Mayor of Lake Charles who said the city would work to find a solution to the tire dumping.

Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality

State agency that regulates tire disposal and offers the grant that could reimburse Lake Charles for removal costs.

The details

Harvey asked the city to explore a tire amnesty program or apply for the LDEQ grant, and cited a hypothetical dump of 200 tires at city hall. Marks volunteered to join the proposed committee, which would create an action plan for the council.

In 2025, the city installed game cameras to identify and prosecute local scrap yard owners dumping tires illegally.
Tires began sitting unaddressed on See and Shattuck Streets almost seven months before Oct. 27, 2026.
On Oct. 27, 2026, Harvey raised the tire dumping issue at the council meeting.

Political Context

Council members are weighing the LDEQ tire removal grant alongside a tire amnesty program as the primary tools for cleanup. Harvey's push frames the problem as one the city must solve through state funding and enforcement rather than waiting for scrap yard owners to act.

Residents living near See Street and North Shattuck Street may see tire removal efforts if the council adopts a grant application or amnesty program. Anyone with tires to dispose of should know that LDEQ-regulated processing centers accept only limited volumes per day.

The takeaway

Illegal dumping on public streets falls to local governments to clean up, so residents who see tires dumped should report them to city officials. Pursuing state funding alongside enforcement may reduce the cost burden on the city.