Trash heap behind Brookline restaurants has been piling up for weeks; smell extends for a block
BROOKLINE – A piling heap of trash behind new restaurants in Brookline has a stench reaching as far as a block away. People who work in the area say the festering mess has been mounting for weeks, and finally, the town is stepping in to do something about it.
Why is there a huge pile of trash in Brookline?
The pile of trash overflowing from dumpsters sits on St. Mary's Court behind the series of restaurants. The mound of trash was so tall that it took removal crews most of the day Tuesday just to clean up what was in the parking lot. Brookline Town Manager Charles Carey called the trash level rare and unfortunate.
"I just got here an hour ago, and [the smell] reaches pretty far depending on the wind and the heat and all those things. It's unappetizing, to say the least," said Carey, "It's our understanding that there was a miscommunication between the owner of the building and their hauling company, and that resulted in trash not being able to be picked up."
Carey said most of the trash is food waste and food containers and boxes. As the food baked in the parking lot and the dumpster, the debris started to attract maggots, flies and possibly rats.
"There are, obviously, the various sort of scavenger animals you see, like the insects. We are worried about rats. There's a huge rat problem in the community," added Carey.
Town officials order cleanup
"It got worse and worse, clearly, as it mounted," said Deborah Pepper, who has an office nearby, "A woman pulled me over yesterday to see a worm, which actually was not a worm; it was one of the maggots that you got to see, I'm sure."
Pepper is the executive director of Hospitality Homes, a nonprofit that provides families with a host family and home while their child is seeking medical treatment in Boston. Pepper has to drive by the heap of horror to get to her parking spot behind the building. She was one of the 10-15 people who called the town about the problem.
"I only called the town yesterday, so I feel like they were so responsive and so kind on the phone, but I know lots of people have been calling," said Pepper, "I just wanted to go out and thank them because I knew this isn't a problem anyone creates or wants. Don't walk away thinking this is typical for Brookline."
Carey says the owners have all been cited, and they will continue to be fined every day if the filth continues. The town is working on a plan with the building owner to make sure there is a proper plan for waste disposal.
