HARTFORD -- The capital city's illegal dumping issue was at the front and center this week after the mayor came across a massive pile of junk dropped off by someone from out of town.
Over a dozen giant mattresses were simply left on the side of the road.
"I was driving down Broad Street and on the side of the road were about 15 mattresses, two couches and a box spring," explained Bronin. "This was one of the most egregious examples of illegal dumping that I’ve seen in the city.”
When springtime comes, so do spring clean-ups. However when you clean your property, you can't leave your junk on the street. And unfortunately, it's not the first time this has happened.
This type of cleanup would generally cost the city around $1500 to remove. So when Mayor Bronin saw the mess, he took matters into his own hands, while making his position on the issue clear.
"We are taking very seriously the issue of illegal dumping and bulky waste in the city," Bronin stated explicitly. "Anyone who thinks that they can dump on Hartford should be ready to get arrested and prosecuted.”
Using C4 Cameras, officers assigned to the Capitol City Command Center wasted no time locating the suspects who dumped the mattresses.
“We were able to number one identify the suspect very quickly and to make an arrest within less than 18 hours," said Mayor Bronin.
Lifelong Hartford resident Luis Flores owns a building on the same Broad Street block, where he can be found cleaning the street and front sidewalk several times a week.
“That’s the way it should be -- that’s great, it’s a great idea," Flores exclaimed. "Everybody should pitch in and start cleaning up the neighborhood.”
Illegal dumping is something residents complain about all over the city. The mayor wants people to use the Hartford 311 App to report issues like illegal dumping to the city departments.