How would you like to see a pile of trash outside your window every morning?
It’s a reality for people in one Lansing neighborhood and it’s just part of the problem.
A woman whose sick and tired of the trash heap in an empty lot across from her house posted a picture of it on Facebook.
The pile of trash was found on the corner of Martin Luther King Junior and Allegan streets in Lansing.
“I didn't know it was that bad until you showed me the pictures,” said Sandra Anderson, a neighbor disgusted by dumped trash. “I noticed that it's really bad.”
Neighbors understand you'll find trash in a city but nothing like a heaping pile of rubbish dumped in a vacant lot.
The lot is next to an abandoned house that caught fire back in June and is across the Michigan Supreme Court building.
“There are people out there that are poor and they can afford Granger, why can't they?” said Marguerita May, who lives nearby. “Why take it behind an abandoned house and just throw it because that makes no sense.”
“I have a granddaughter upstairs so that’s kind of hard for her to come out and you can't really play because it smells,” said Anderson.
We tracked down the property’s owner but managed to find the owner’s daughter instead.
The pile of trash on her parent’s property was news to her.
Scott Sanford, manager of code enforcement for the city of Lansing says, it’s not the first time a property owner may not be aware of trash dumped on their property.
“A lot of them are surprised when we call them or they get the bill because unfortunately in an emergency situation we don't have time to wait for somebody to come and do it,” said Sanford.
If it’s not an emergency the city of Lansing will give property owners seven days to get rid of trash.
The city works with a contractor to do the work which could get costly.
A $265 administration fee is tacked onto the original cost associated by cubic yard.
Property owners have an opportunity to fight the case and prove why they shouldn’t be billed.
“We take neighborhood enforcement and beatification extremely seriously,” said Sanford. “That’s why we have four people on staff that do nothing but drive 480 miles of road in the city of Lansing and write stuff up every day.”
Unlicensed trash haulers typically dump trash illegally. If you’re looking to have trash removed, be sure to contact a licensed trash hauler.
The average trash clean up in the city of Lansing costs $435.
1,200 lawns were forced to be cut by the city in 2016 and over 20,000 violation letters for things like trash, grass, and disabled cars were sent out.
The most expensive trash cleanup billed from the city was roughly $74,000.
If you see someone illegally dumping or find trash where it doesn't belong, give your city's code enforcement office a call to take care of the problem.
The Lansing code enforcement office can be contacted at (517) 483-4361 and Jackson’s code enforcement office can be contacted at (517) 788-4060.
Getting law enforcement involved may also be a good idea.
