BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Illegal dumping continues to plague parts of Buffalo, and residents are speaking out about the impact it has on their neighborhood.
The City of Buffalo has put people responsible for illegal dumping on notice, revealing plans to deploy trap cameras to catch perpetrators in the act. Convictions carry a $2,200 fine and a misdemeanor charge. The city has not said when or where the cameras will be deployed, or the number of locations targeted.
After that story aired, a viewer reached out to share the impact of illegal dumping and his thoughts on what the city should be doing about it.
Kevin Hayes works for Buffalo ReUse, a nonprofit that clears properties to reclaim materials and disposes of discarded material responsibly. His warehouse backs onto one of the city's illegal dumping hot spots in the Genesee-Moselle neighborhood.
Hayes said the city routinely cleans up garbage at the site. He supports the trap cameras.
"People think they can dump their trash wherever they want to, so of course they look for corners of the city they think nobody cares about, but believe me, people care about every corner of the city in some way right?" Hayes said.
Hayes pointed out another problem area about a mile away on Fougerson Street: the vacant Wonder Bread factory.
WATCH: Residents speak out over illegal dumping concerns
Piles of dumped asphalt, a broken wooden dresser, and broken toys were among the many items that littered the site when I visited.
The Wonder Bread property is currently owned by Harry Stinson, the same person who owns the vacant Buffalo Grand Hotel. Hayes said he wants to see the property secured to deter illegal dumpers.
"I would like to see at least fences around the property," Hayes said.
The property lies in the city's Ellicott District, represented by Buffalo Common Councilmember Leah Halton-Pope.
"It's an eyesore," Halton-Pope said of the Wonder Bread site. "It's adding to the blight in the community, and I feel like my constituents deserve more."
The council's majority leader has filed a resolution asking the city's law department to look into all legal options regarding the property. The city also still has abandonment proceedings on the table for the Buffalo Grand, and Stinson was ordered to pay $175,000 to the city in code violations, including for the Wonder Bread property, earlier this month.
"If you have property, take care of it. Secure the property because you're gonna be that one that's fined for it," Halton-Pope said.
