Fly Dumpers Drop Remains Of Demolished House In Brighton Park; Practice Costs Taxpayers Thousands A Year

CHICAGO (CBS) -- It costs Chicago taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars a year.

On Wednesday night, CBS 2's Tara Molina continued to investigate fly dumping issues throughout the city – after an entire home demo was just dumped in Brighton Park.

Just in the 15th Ward, fly dumping costs about a quarter million dollars a year. That is money that could be spent on projects that improve the neighborhood.

At one property in Brighton Park, mounds of debris, junk, and rubble ended up being dumped everywhere. That debris started out miles away at an empty lot in Marquette Park.

"An entire house was demolished and basically dropped off in its entirety into the middle of the Brighton Park neighborhood," said Ald. Ray Lopez (15th). "It's astounding to me."

Lopez has had it with the fly dumpers targeting his ward.

"When people see someone doing something? They should call the police if they think they have any kind of suspicion to the activity that's going on," he said.

In *his case, a small recycling business that hasn't even broken ground yet footed the bill for a clean-up - thousands of dollars, they say, that will set them and their plans back.

But usually, you as a taxpayer are the one paying the bill.

"Thousands of dollars that could go to more important things to help improving our neighborhoods; to providing programs for our youth; to providing enhancements to our streets and parks," Lopez said.

CBS 2's Molina reached out to the city's Department of Buildings about the property and the fly dumping issue. She had not heard back as of late Wednesday night.