A home in West Philadelphia is surrounded by three illegal dumping sites, and the woman who lives there has had enough of the trash.
“It’s overwhelming,” said the woman, who wanted to be identified as Mrs. T. “It’s depressing at times because you have to wake up and see stuff like this.”
Mrs. T said she’s been dealing with constant piles of trash for more than two years — all around the 700 block of North Brooklyn Street.
“The illegal waste sits right in front of her house, in an empty lot filled with things like trash bags, cans, plastic crates, and tires.”
Behind Mrs. T’s home, NBC10 found abandoned furniture, appliances, clothing and more bags of trash.
And, just half a block down there is another empty lot that is scattered with even more debris.
“I’ve witnessed people coming by, driving past, dropping garbage off,” she said. “I’ve seen foxes, raccoons and big rats.”
“We can’t walk in the street, we barely have a sidewalk,” Mrs. T added. “And we can’t walk in the street, and if we do we have to be careful because this is a one at street
Mrs. T said she’s been reporting the dumping to the city since early January. She said that crews have come out, but the cleanups aren’t enough, and the trash just keeps piling up.
She also said she worries about the health risks for her family and her neighbors.
“I wish they could change and keep it on a constant basis, like send out the crew to clean not just once a week. Maybe two to three times a week.”
People can be fined up to $5,000 for illegal dumping in Philadelphia.
We reached out to the city about this cite and they said they are investigating the matter.