Residents angered over huge mountain of garbage on Brooklyn street corner
BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, Brooklyn (WABC) -- At the G train subway stop at the corner of Lafayette and Bedford Avenues, apparently, the G stands for "garbage" -- or as neighbors call it, "Garbage Mountain."
The corner in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, has heaping portions of garbage. Flies have also made their home in the area, and rodent traps line the sidewalks.
The problem has been going on for about a year. Up until recently, residents thought it was the Yeshiva dumping all of the trash -- until they pulled up the surveillance tape. Video shows a group of men unloading a garbage truck. It happens every few days, and they even leave items such as stoves.
"It's so rancid, so acrid that my home down the block on a warm summer day. If I open the window, the whole home will smell like garbage," said resident Jeff Thomas.
Thomas says he has tried everything. He has called 311 repeatedly and reached out to elected officials. He handed over the video to the local precinct and called the sanitation department, but none of this has worked.
"It's several city agencies that we need to deal with here, and it's very easy for any one of them to say 'it's not my fault, it's not my responsibility' - we need someone to step up to the plate," he added.
A Sanitation Department spokesperson says the Enforcement Unit is currently investigating, and monitoring the area for illegal activity. The spokesperson notes that it has a bounty award program - tipsters are eligible for a reward of up to half of the fine collected.
The NYPD said the precinct's commanding officer is increasing overnight patrols and coordinating with sanitation to put a stop to the illegal dumping.
----------
