BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) – Members of the Eastlake community in Birmingham say that piles of trash are plaguing the neighborhood.

Resident VL Simmons says the trash paints a poor representation of the community. He tries to help with clean-up efforts multiple times a week but feels more needs to be done.

“Mainly, the trash issue in Eastlake is you have a lot of abandoned property, and if a property becomes abandoned, they feel nobody there, and nobody cares about the upkeep of it, and they use it as a dump site,” Simmons said.

Hunter Williams represents the area and says the trash dumping in Eastlake is part of a citywide issue.

Williams says that each Birmingham resident should have a city-issued trash bin by the end of the year. He also says that the city is also providing more enforcement on illegal dumping in neighborhoods.

“The city of Birmingham is currently looking for four code enforce inspectors as part of what the council pushed for in this previous budget that got passed,” Williams said.

These inspectors will be responsible for writing citations and serving subpoenas to people who illegally dump. Williams says the city is serious about this issue.

“We will pursue any action whether they be an absentee landlord, tenant or property owner that doesn’t abide by state code as well as dumping trash and criminal littering,” he said.

Williams says if you see trash dumping issues in your community, call 311.