Residents raise a stink about garbage heap on Ottawa street

Who is responsible for this pile of garbage? A massive pile of illegally dumped garbage has residents demanding the city do something to clean it up. CTV's Tyler Fleming reports.

Thirty-five truck loads of garbage were removed from the area of Old Innes Road in Ottawa's east end, after the growing pile of trash became an unsightly and smelly mess for local business owners who say they are tired of seeing the area used as an illegal dumping ground.

The large pile of discarded items includes black trash bags filled with food waste, tires, broken furniture, oil containers, and industrial materials such as asphalt. It is turning the area into what seems to be an unofficial dump.

"It's really been in the last year and a half that this has become problematic," says Rob Moran, whose family operates Cadieux Interiors which faces the garbage heap. "It's just a very unpleasant situation for this part of town and for the city of Ottawa. Customers that have come into the store have made reference to whether or not we have made attempts to try and clean up the area across the street or if anything is being done and right now there's really nothing that's happening."

Moran adds that the situation has worsened in recent months. He has reported the issue to Ottawa Bylaw and reached out to his area councillor for assistance.

"I found out about it at the end of October, and obviously actioned the request, sent it to bylaw, bylaw came out, they tried to find out where the trash came from," said Alta Vista Ward Coun. Marty Carr. "There was nothing, no identifying material that could indicate who had left that big pile of trash there, so the request was sent in to clean it up."

Carr initially said the garbage was on Hydro Ottawa property, but now says it's unclear who owns the site. The city now says it is committed to cleaning up the garbage as quickly as possible and will explore the option of installing barriers to restrict access to the area to prevent illegal dumping.

Hydro Ottawa said crew was sent over to its substations in that area to verify, and did not find garbage on any of its sites.

Local residents and workers have reported an increase in illegal dumping in industrial areas and along roadways, fearing that Ottawa's new garbage disposal limits could worsen the issue.

"This pile (on Old Innes Road) has been building up for quite a while, a little bit each month, and now it's ridiculous. All these rural areas are getting a lot of garbage dumped," says Doug Munro, who frequents the area. "I think we're going to see garbage everywhere and you're seeing garbage bags now in these piles which you never saw before the three-item limit.Just drive through any neighbourhood on a garbage night and you'll see the crazy amounts of garbage and it's just going to be left behind. This is just the start."

The city recently introduced a three-item curbside garbage limit to help extend the lifespan of the Trail Road Landfill. Under the new rules, households must use yellow City of Ottawa bags for any items above the three-item limit. If the limit is exceeded without a yellow bag, collectors are currently leaving one item at the curb with a courtesy tag.

The yellow bags are available at various outlets across the city, with four bags costing $17.60. Starting in December, any untagged items over the limit will be left at the curb with a courtesy tag.

"I understand the fear of residents that this is what they're going to see in the community," says Carr. "Certainly, we have had cases where there has been dumping in parking lots or elsewhere and we're doing our best to address that, but I absolutely understand the fear and, in this particular case, I know we have had issues with dumping in that area. This is a valid concern when people are looking to get rid of their household waste when they're over the limit."

Carr told CTV Morning Live Friday morning that city crews removed 35 truck loads of garbage Friday morning.

The fine for illegal dumping in Ottawa varies depending on location and severity. Fines include:

Residents are encouraged to report illegal dumping by calling 3-1-1 or online at ottawa.ca/311.