Soiled toilet paper & towels found dumped in Bradenton lot

Image 1 of 2

A mysterious litterbug has left neighbors upset and disgusted. They found boxes full of dirty paper towels soaked in urine and human waste scattered across a vacant lot off 18th Street East and Manatee Avenue East in Bradenton.

Crews with the Bradenton the Public Works Department spent four days clearing the lot of trash and debris, after complaints from residents that the property is becoming a dumping ground.

"We had some homeless people camping in the area. There were mattresses and trash associated with that. We had gone in and cleaned up all of that material," said Jim Mclellan, Director of Public Works.

It didn't take long before the lot was once again covered in trash.

"I got a call Friday morning saying, 'Thanks for the clean up, but they hit us again last night,'" said Mclellan.

A resident found large cardboard boxes that had been emptied on the grass, scattering piles of paper towels soiled with urine and human waste.

Crews returned to the lot to clean up the trash on Friday.

Freddy Garcia, who works at Auto Body Unlimited across the road from the vacant lot, said the area has been treated as a free dumpster for years.

"It's disgusting. It's horrible. I mean, why do I have to pick up somebody else's beer bottles," questioned Garcia.

He said at the corner of his business, people often drop off large trash items overnight.  "Tires, beds, house paint, stuff like that," said Garcia.

Bradenton officials are not sure who is behind the recent dumping, but said it could be homeless residents who previously slept in the lot before city crews removed the mattresses.

"I don't know if it's somebody trying to make a statement, I don't know if somebody is upset with the city in general, I don't know. It's just a strange one," said Mclellan.

The Public Works Department has asked Bradenton Police to patrolling the lot more often at night.

They are currently getting estimates to see what it would cost to add a fence around the property.