MIAM – Disturbing images have emerged showing parts of the MacArthur Causeway that look like a small landfill.
“There’s clothing, there’s bikes, there’s fishing rods, there are electronics,” said environmental activist Dave Doebler. “This is 50 feet by 30 feet wide.”
The mound of trash is abundant, and it’s scattered across the shoreline along the causeway.
“This is going to end up in the bay,” said Doebler. “It looks like a combination of a homeless encampment, but it’s something that’s been going on for a long, long time, and it almost looks like it’s the result of illegal dumping.”
Amateur video of the mess is making the rounds on social media, sparking some outrage.
Local 10 News has confirmed that the problem started with a homeless encampment that once settled there.
The people relocated but the garbage stayed, which got the attention of the Miami Police Department’s homeless detail.
A spokesperson said:
“We’re aware and have been working with a number of resources to remedy the problem without contaminating the waters.”
With I-395 in the distance, the responsibility to clean up actually falls on the Florida Department of Transportation.
A FDOT representative told Local 10 News, “They’re mobilizing a maintenance crew to go to the site and remove the trash tomorrow morning.”
Doebler and others are worried about the marine and wildlife that unknowingly feed on the potentially deadly hazards.
“Ultimately this is just an overall failure of humanity,” he said.