Neighbors fed up with trash piling up again along road in Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Along the shoulder of Bristol Street near the Birmingham/Tarrant line, you’ll find a vacuum cleaner, Amazon Prime boxes, what looks like a washing machine, old tires and a ton of other household garbage.

You’ll also see a “No Dumping” sign posted on a tree near the trash.

“This is what I see everyday going to work and coming home,” Roosevelt Jiles said.

Jiles walks to and from work along this road. He’s more than disgusted by what he sees.

“It’s ridiculous out there and it doesn’t make sense,” Jiles said.

Giles says he’s called 311 about this illegal dump, but feels his calls are being ignored.

“I’ve called down to the city. Nothing’s been done. I walk to work through here and I’m being chased by dogs, possums, racoons, everything that’s coming out of these woods,” Jiles said.

Jiles tells us this street has looked like this for over a year.

Nearly 6 years ago, we did the same story here. Residents said the street has been a hot spot for illegal dumping for years. At the time, we spoke with a group trying to revitalize Birmingham neighborhoods. They suspect residents from nearby areas who don’t want to pay trash or dump fees are driving to this street to ditch their trash.

“Throwing trash down whether it’s in your neighborhood or another neighborhood is just not a good thing for humanity,” Cory Pettway, a resident said at the time.

After a few calls, the city sent crews to clean it up.

Fast forward to today and the situation seems to have gotten worse. Jiles and his neighbors are hoping it’s cleaned up. They also say the city should put up cameras to catch people turning parts of their neighborhood into a dump.

“I’m ashamed for people to come around this way coming to my house because it makes it look bad and I mean you wouldn’t want this around your house,” Jiles said.

WBRC reached out to the city about the trash issues.

“As you referenced, this appears to be an illegal dump site. Unfortunately, individuals who choose to dump litter and trash illegally sometimes come back to the same locations requiring city employees to address these illegal sites repeatedly in addition to regular routes. DPW has been notified,” Rick Journey, Director of Communications for the City of Birmingham said.

You are urged to report any illegal dumping to the city. You can report the dump sites on the MY BHAM 311 app, call 311, or go online at www.birminghamal.gov/311.

The city has dumpsters at four locations for residents to drop off their trash. The city landfill is open as well. You can also read more about the city’s illegal dumping awareness campaign which includes info on fines and penalties here: https://www.birminghamal.gov/illegaldumping/

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