A viewer alerted MTN to dumpsters in Pryor getting overloaded next to the old school.
Also this week, another viewer emailed about the problem with the dump on Edgar Road.
Watch Pryor dumpster story here:
Nearby residents say the dumpsters near the old school have not been emptied for weeks.
This was supposed to be a solution, but neighbors say it's raising many concerns.
Those living in Pryor say the dumpsters near the closed down school were intended to take the place of this dump on Edgar Road.
"It's got to be a safety issue,” said Ray Hill, a Crow Tribal member. “If there's sharp glasses and everything, I mean, who knows, who knows what other contaminants are in there."
But instead it's caused a bigger problem and Hill says he especially worries about the kids and says it's a hazard for his dogs too.
"We were taught to respect the land," said Hill. "I don't know why the trash is like this."
Pryor residents say it's been anywhere from two weeks to one month since the trash in the dumpsters has been picked up.
Kids riding by on bicycles also see the problem.
"Kids are always on their bikes all the time," said Lamya Takesgun, a Pryor firefighter and Crow Tribal member. "Some of them wear sandals, some of them wear shoes. There's always kids outside enjoying the weather."
The EPA selected the Crow Tribe to receive a $1.3 million solid waste grant in 2023, to use for collection routes, enforcement and personnel, fencing and recycling sites.
Some in Pryor say none of this has happened.
On Wednesday, Big Horn County Commissioner George Real Bird III said he has spoken with Crow legislators.
"We had the three district representatives from Arrow Creek or the Pryor district reach out to us," Real Bird said. "They were asking for some assistance."
Real Bird says the Crow Tribe stopped working with the county on trash in 2016.
MTN reached out to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Crow Tribe Executive Branch, and Republic Sanitation Services, and we have yet to hear back from any of them.
But the citizens have spoken.
"Usually it seems to me that probably about once a week it gets picked up," said John Horning, a Pryor resident. "But then it fills pretty quickly."
"They just don't even care," Lois Flatlip, a Pryor firefighter and Crow member, said about the people dumping the trash. “They don't care. It's like not their problem once they get rid of it, it's like they don't care. It's out of their mind."
“I'm just going to be honest here, it looks lazy,” said Javeria Takesgun, Pryor firefighter and Crow member. "It looks not too pretty. I get the concerns of the people."
