Residents in Banquete say they’re tired of seeing trash and tires scattered along their streets — and community leaders are stepping in to do something about it.
Banquete ISD Superintendent Adriana Tagle says the lack of a city government leaves residents without some basic services.
“Since Banquete does not have a municipality, we often don’t have access to resources like taking your trash out to the city dump at no cost,” Tagle explained.
That gap in services has made Banquete and other parts of western Nueces County hotspots for illegal dumping, according to County Commissioner Mike Pusley.
“The illegal dumping that we see happens more in the rural areas and in the unincorporated areas of our county,” Pusley said.
To fight back, Tagle reached out to Pusley for help, and he connected with the Coastal Bend Council of Governments to organize a tire cleanup event.
“We had some funds left over from our grant, so we went ahead and reached out to counties and cities to see if they’re interested in a tire event,” said Sal Ochoa, Environmental Program Planning Manager.
The two-day cleanup effort collected 711 tires from Banquete alone, filling a truck with old rubber waste.
“It was encouraging, and I think our community took advantage of it,” Tagle said.
Officials say this is just the beginning. More cleanups are being planned for rural areas across Nueces County.
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