MACON, Ga. — An illegal dumping violation sign stands along Center Street, right off of Gray Highway.
But neighbors in the Fort Hill neighborhood say the community has ignored the warning sign for years, and they've had enough.
Shanisha Thompson cuts through Center Street on her way to work to avoid highway traffic.
"One particular day last week I came through, there was a trampoline in the middle of the road. The springs, tires, parts of doors, everything was in the middle of the road," Thompson said. "I stopped, I got out and moved everything out of the way because I knew there is a lot of traffic that does come up and down this road."
Thompson says she submitted a report to the city after the incident.
Danny Dixon, who lives around the corner from Center Street, says the dumping has become a hazard to people like him.
"Somebody will come through and dump the trash and keep right on going, late at night or early in the morning," Dixon said.
Dixon is legally blind and can't drive, so he says he often walks through Center Street to get to businesses on Gray Highway.
"It's not only hazardous to the people in the neighborhood, but it's a hazard to people that travel back and forth," Dixon said. "Just be aware that actions have consequences for everybody else. Other people do not need to suffer. Just because the street is blank does not mean it's not cared for or needed."
Commissioner-elect Stanley Stewart says Solid Waste Department crews are set to clear the trash that remains in the area on Tuesday.
Stewart says he's grateful for the county's efforts in clearing the area, but he is also pushing for long-term solutions like cameras or patrols that will prevent the dumping from happening at all.
Stewart says he's also looking to clear some of the brush that conceals the road from Gray Highway and other streets in the neighborhood.
"We want to try to find ways to keep it from getting in this state to begin with," Stewart said. "You can hear the cars on Gray Highway, but you can't see anything. That's the problem. If you can't see out there, people out there can't see in here, and that's why it's become such a haven for illegal dumping."
Stewart says crews will begin their clean-up efforts around 9 a.m. Tuesday.
The county is actively accepting illegal dumping service requests through their "See Click Fix" program.
According to the county website, Macon-Bibb has completed over 300 neighborhood clean-ups and cleared out nearly 600 illegal dump sites since the launch of their Clean Streets Matter Program in 2021.