Dumpster promotes a mountain of trash trouble on Cleveland's west side

CLEVELAND - Residents and business owners living near West 65 Street in Cleveland are tired of living with an illegal dump in their neighborhood.

The massive pile of trash and debris started to grow five weeks ago, after a Dumpster was simply left abandoned in the parking lot of the long-since closed Kmart.

Illegal dumping at the parking lot has caused nothing but trash trouble: a small mountain of trash, old tires, broken furniture, car parts and just about everything imaginable.

Business owners, like Michael Danzey, said they have called their councilman, the owner of the old Kmart property and the company that apparently owns the Dumpster, but they have received no response.

"It's not pretty. It's not safe," Danzey said. "People shouldn't do this, but it's done, and now let's get it out of here. If the Dumpster goes, the problem will go away too."

NewsChannel5 learned children and Cleveland police tried to clean-up the mess just before Memorial Day, but people kept bringing their trash.

"I don't understand why it's taken so long to get any action," said business owner Florian Maruszak. "This doesn't look good for anybody. We have a school down the street. It's not safe."

NewsChannel5's Troubleshooter unit determined the old Kmart property is owned by Kamin Realty, and the sticker on the Dumpster indicates it's owned by Cleveland Waste.

NewsChannel5 contacted both companies in an effort to get the pile of debris cleaned up.

Kamin Realty Vice President Chuck Reali told NewsChannel5 he is working with the Dumpster company to get the waste removed by the end of the week.

NewsChannel5 will follow-up to insure the mess is cleaned up and the Dumpster is removed.

Reali also announced a new business will be moving into the abandoned Kmart building by November of this year, and will occupy 70,000 square feet. Reali is still looking for a second tenant to take the other 20,000 feet.

Meanwhile, the city of Cleveland is attempting to crackdown on illegal dumping. Residents are being asked to report any activity they see to the Dump Hotline, 216-664-DUMP (3867).

If convicted, illegal dumping carries up to a $1,000 fine and perhaps even jail time.

NewsChannel5 invites residents to take action in preventing illegal dumping, and reporting vacant/condemned homes, through its NewsChannel5 Building Better Neighborhoods initiative .

Residents are encouraged to send in pictures and information on distressed properties to our Troubleshooter Facebook or Twitter accounts @joeonyourside . Report a home using your smartphone and our free NewsChannel5 app .

NewsChannel5 will bring you a series of reports and updates on the progress made through the Building Better Neighborhoods initiative throughout 2012.