WILKES BARRE -- It's an eye sore in Wilkes-Barre, the visual of trash, trash, and more trash along several streets in the city.
City officials say illegal dumping has become a noticeable problem and they are working toward catching the culprits in the act.
On Biscontini Road in Wilkes-Barre, you can find everything from full garbage bags to liquor bottles. Some residents say they've seen couches dumped here.
City officials say they've cleaned up this area and many others several times, and now they've had enough.
On a spring day in Wilkes Barre, a drive along some areas in the city, like Biscontini Road, gets you a scenic view of what looks like a dumpsite.
"I'm driving here every day and every day there's like a couch or like trash bags. It's just ridiculous," said Jacob Waxmonsky who lives in Wilkes-Barre.
City officials say despite signs that say no dumping and penalties of fines, they have a problem with people illegally dumping trash. They say it happens usually late at night.
"I think it's absolutely disgusting. It looks like a pig sty. They clean it up and weeks later there's junk all over again," said Cynthia Turner, another Wilkes-Barre Resident.
Crews with Wilkes-Barre's Department of Public Works say they are constantly out picking up illegally dumped trash. They even have volunteers help with areas like one along Division Street.
"I think they need to patrol this area more or put something up so they can catch them because like I said, they'll clean it up once the weather's breaking and then it'll be horrible again!" Turner added.
Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tom Leighton says the city is equally frustrated.
"Our health department goes out and they go through the trash and they look for identification. When they do we take them to the magistrate level and they are fined," said Mayor Tom Leighton.
The mayor acknowledges that may not be enough.
"We also applied for a grant that's meant strictly for putting security cameras, video cameras in areas that have a high concentration of illegal dumping. And we have several areas throughout the city where we are constantly picking it up," Leighton added.
It'll be a few weeks before the city knows whether or not it has been awarded the grant from an environmental group.
The mayor says people should just keep a watchful eye and take down the license plate of any vehicle seen dumping trash and report that to the police.
