Mayor Greg York said there is no reason for people to throw unwanted furniture and trash onto a neighboring property because the city will pick it up free of charge.

“Except for electronic devices like TVs and computers, and building materials like lumber and roofing, all city residents need to do is set their old couches, dressers, chairs and what have you out at the curb on their normal trash day and the city will pick it up. We even take refrigerators! And for the TVs and other e-scrap all they have to do is take it down to the back of the Three Rivers office on Broad Street and they’ll take it for no charge. There’s just no reason for people to throw that stuff in somebody’s yard when we’ll gladly pick it up,” the mayor said.

Cathy Hamilton, a founding member of HOPE Initiative, brought the problem to the city’s attention after a group of HOPE volunteers discovered the unsightly mess while engaged in community clean-up.

Hamilton said it is important everyone does their best to maintain a clean city and to present New Castle’s best side to visitors. She said trash-filled lots are bad for economic development, are a public health and safety concern, and can cause nearby property owners to lose hope and, in some cases, allow their properties to become unsightly.

“People don’t know what to do about it,” she said. “There are no trash totes there, and problems arise because when someone throws something onto one of these empty or abandoned lots and it gets left there, it’s like an invitation for others to dump more trash there and the problem just escalates.”

Hamilton said she and other volunteers appreciated the assistance of nearby residents who helped carry the assorted trash and junk from the property to the sidewalk to make it easier for city workers to pick up and encouraged all New Castle residents to perform some spring cleaning in their yards and around their homes.