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Residents in St. Louis' 3rd Ward fed up with growing bulky trash problem

"It's so nasty. I'm sick of it. It's been a problem for more than two months," said Nannie Williams.

ST. LOUIS — "That stuff in the corner and the stuff by the blue dumpster have been there," said concerned third ward resident, Nannie Williams.

Williams calls the "stuff" in an alley behind her home in north St. Louis a nasty eyesore.

She says the broken toilet, dirty loveseats, tossed-out tires and other bulky trash keep piling up near Salisbury and Parnell in the city's third ward.

"It's been a problem maybe over two months. Nobody is picking it up," said Nannie Williams.

A sticker on the dumpster clearly says residents in her neighborhood should set their bulky items out on the second Monday of each month and those big items would be collected within five days, but Williams says she hasn't seen city crews.

"I'm very sick of it because of this stuff doesn't do nothing, but makes rats come through here," added Williams.

Residents say people have also illegally dumped tires and bulky trash in the area.

"They need to stop it because it's not right," said Nannie Williams.

"It's really bad. I've been here for like three months and everything over there still has been the same," said third ward resident, Krystal Hanna.

5 On Your Side rode down the alley and saw even more junk. A broken mirror, more pieces of furniture and old, dirty mattresses all littered the ground.

There was also a huge mess behind the office of Third Ward Alderman Brandon Bosley.

"No neighborhood should ever look like this. I think the city needs more employees now. We need to make sure once we get those employees, we are demanding that we put them where the need is," said Alderman Bosley.

Nick Dunne, a spokesman for Mayor Tishaura Jones says city crews are "working seven days a week to ensure missed, bulk routes get picked up while we continue to hire more people to fill vacant positions."

Dunne also said "we do ask citizens to report alley debris and missed trash, recycling to the Citizens Bureau at (314) 622-4800, online via the city's website or the Citizens' SVC Bureau on Twitter.

Nannie Williams just wants the nagging problem flushed away for good.

"They need to get on their job and do what they're supposed to do, pick up this stuff," said Williams.

The Mayor's spokesman also says the city is "installing more alley cameras in problem areas to catch and charge people illegally dumping in our communities."

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