People use this North York street as an illegal dumping ground. Locals have had enough
‘If this had never been cleaned up, this garbage pile would be 100 yards high,’ councillor says
Yunus Cetinkya and his coworkers prepare for the lunch crowd at Mustafa Restaurant, a Turkish spot in the Wilson and Dufferin area of North York.
They set up the tables, and place fresh baklava in a display window. They make sure to close the blinds on the eatery's east side before the customers arrive to keep them from seeing the garbage.
A dozen tires, broken furniture, multiple plastic judges, and other trash littered the grass and could be seen spilling onto the sidewalk down Garratt Boulevard across from Mustafa on Monday.
Cetinkya said the restaurant has lost some customers over complaints about the popular illegal dumping site.
"They're saying, 'when you eat… you shouldn't see some garbage, you shouldn't see something dirty,'" he said.
They're not the only ones upset.
Locals, including local business owners, told CBC Toronto they're pressing the city for a permanent solution to an illegal dumping problem they say has become chronic.
The Garratt Boulevard garbage pile is right next to a city sign that states those found dumping will be prosecuted and face up to $10,000 in fines.
It also states residents can report dumping by calling 311.
The current pile materialized over the last few weeks, but the issue has been a concern for a decade, said local resident Jeff Green.
Locals face recurring trash battle
"I have spoken to various city councillors. I've written probably 50 plus emails in 10 years trying to get this to be kept clean," said Green. "Nothing's worked."
He says that's evident from the current pileup.
"We have garbage pickup in this neighborhood on Wednesdays. Why not simply dedicate a truck to make sure… they also clean this up?" Green said.
"We pay enough taxes, to say the least. This should not be a problem."
In a 2020 email exchange viewed by CBC Toronto, Green told local Coun. James Pasternak (Ward 6) about the trash heap and Pasternak replied that his office would do its best to keep an eye on the problem.
They have, Pasternak told CBC Toronto.
"If this had never been cleaned up, this garbage pile would be 100 yards high," he said.
Pasternak says constituent complaints get passed to city staff for clean up, but catching dumpers in the act is tough because people tend to dump their garbage overnight.
Out of frustration over years of inaction, Green says he didn't mention the current garbage pile to Pasternak. When CBC Toronto told the councillor, he said,"I've sent it to solid waste, and they're getting a crew over there."
When asked if there should be further enforcement, Pasternak called the current $10,000 fine "very serious."
The neighbourhood's garbage problem goes beyond the illegal dump on Garratt Boulevard and extends along Wilson Avenue, said Paul Di Prospero, the executive director of the Wilson Village BIA.
He can think of a few reasons why the area might be prone to illegal dumping.
Di Prospero says it could be passersby traveling on the nearby highway.
Or, he says it could be confusion over a more complicated 311 reporting system in which the city asks people reporting to identify who they think the culprit is, which can be hard to know.
He says it may also be the sheer size of Ward 6, which was created by the 2018 amalgamation of Wards 9 and 10.
"I have heard a lot of frustrations about the large ward," Di Prospero said.
Oktay Celik is opening a Turkish cafe just steps away from the garbage pile.
He says he's renovating his space to make sure it is pristine and welcoming for customers when it opens in three months — the garbage could prove a problem.
"If someone comes and parks and sees this mess… they're not going to come," Celik said.
"Not just to me, but… to any other restaurant."
The city issued violation notices in 2022 for those caught dumping at the Garratt Boulevard spot, according to an emailed statement from city staff on Tuesday in response to CBC Toronto questions about waste management and concerns about 311.
In the statement, the city says it's already cleaned up the garbage pile since being notified on Monday. However, the city also says that determining who is responsible for illegal dumping is challenging.
"The absence of evidence can make it difficult to take proactive action…. or lay a charge for those responsible," the city said.