INDIANAPOLIS — On the east side of Indianapolis, there is an on-going problem. Trash illegally dumped in multiple places. In one case making an alley impassable and about a mile away a city street sometimes looks like a salvage yard.
"There's two phases to it. I mean one, the community needs to just stop dumping their trash in our alleys. I am an 'eastsider'. And two, the city probably knows this is here. Why they're not cleaning it up or haven't cleaned it up I don't have any idea," said Tim Hughes an east side Indianapolis resident.
Tim Hughes says for months he has watched trash pile up in this alley across the street from the Marion County Juvenile Center. The alley which passes between homes and a gas station at the corner of 25th and Keystone Avenue is filled with parts of couches, pillows, dumped tree limbs and whatever else. On any given day, dumped items turn Valley Avenue under the I-70 bridge into an obstacle course. Last week we found eveything from a toilet to a piano.
"There were couches, there were big old heavy flat screen TVs, a bunch of trees, maybe a little dry wall. Over on Valley Street it's just an on-going illegal dumping ground," Hughes said.
Hughes wants whoever is dumping trash to stop using the place he calls home as their community trash heap.
"Cameron it's, a shame that we have people out here doing this. They go out and make the easy dollar and instead of going to the dump they come into an alley and dump it and its really a shame. We really ought to stop treating our community like this," Hughes said.
Since last week, much of the trash on Valley Avenue has been cleared. But already today, a set of tires was found dumped on the same street. Hughes is now retired but was a long-time employee of Indianapolis Department of Public Works.
"Being a former city worker these people know where they can get away with dumping this stuff at. You know what I'm saying, so if you were to clean this up today, they may be back tomorrow, who knows but its its a shame."Officials with the City of Indianapolis tell WRTV The Department of Businesses and Neighborhood Services has investigated eight cases of illegal dumping in that specific area of the east side, and referred the cases to the Department of Public Works to be cleaned up.
They encourage anyone who notices trash piling up or illegal dumping to contact the Mayor's Action Center, so they can investigate the issue. BNS also plans to continue organizing monthly clean-ups once coronavirus restrictions are lifted.
They office also says for a small fee, you can drop off large items or heavy trash every Saturday at the Citizens Transfer Station on South Belmont Avenue. https://www.indy.gov/activity/citizens-transfer-station [indy.gov]
