Joe Keaveny says he's lived next door to a large pile of trash for about two years.
"They just keep adding to it," he said. "It gets pretty annoying, the smell coming off of it."
He's one of several neighbors who have complained about an empty lot near Oracle and Prince Roads that seems to attract all kinds of illegal dumping.
9OYS visited the lot Tuesday and noticed mattresses, couches and other furniture, yard clippings and even two hot tubs.
The lot is located in between two apartment complexes and right in the middle of a busy neighborhood. Keaveny says his kids catch the school bus right on the edge of the trash dump.
At least two neighbors expressed concerns that media attention might attract more trash so 9OYS has chosen to keep the location of the lot vague.
A spokesman with the City of Tucson Code Enforcement says they are very aware of the problem and that the owner of the private property died.
The city is now going through what's called a posting and publication process. That means the city will post a notice of the citation on the property for the next 30 days. If no one claims the property in that time, the city can request a court-ordered clean up and a city contractor would remove the mess.
Based on the city's timeline, the cleanup will likely happen at the beginning of July.
But Keaveny says he's skeptical because he's seen the property cleaned up in the past and within days, he says it went right back to a huge mess.
"It's like a never ending cycle," he said.
The City of Tucson provides a brush and bulky pickup service twice a year for 26 different neighborhoods. The City will come pick up large items like furniture and appliances during designated weeks.
The next pickup for the area where this trash site is located will begin the week of July 11. This map details where and when the City conducts its brush and bulky pickup service.
The City will collect:
- Brush, tree trunks, branches and other green waste (up to 5 feet long and 24 inches in diameter)
- Lumber (up to 5 feet long and stacked in a separate pile)
- PVC and metal pipes (up to 5 feet long)
- Railroad ties (limit 5)
- Furniture, carpet, and doors
- Lawn mowers with fuel tank and crank case removed
- Scrap metal (bicycles, swing sets, etc., broken into 5 foot lengths)
- Cacti (must be contained - up to 25 lbs.)
- Appliances (remove freezer/refrigerator doors)
- Car tires (limit of five automobile tires)
- Metal drums (empty and cut in half)
You can also request special pickup of large items by calling Customer Service at 520-791-3171. Fees for Special Collections are:
- $30 for up to ten cubic yards plus $25 for 15 minutes of collection time -- $55 total.
- $25 for each additional 15 minutes of collection time and $5 for each additional cubic yard.
For more information, click here.
