Campaign group Keep Bermuda Beautiful is calling for stronger legislation to help address the problem of illegal dumping.

Countless hours of KBB clean up at the Lodge Point Lane campground in Somerset recently were nullified in a few minutes when a law breaker came along with a load including carpet, exercise equipment and even a toilet.

A similar problem happened two months ago in the Boaz Island area, also in Somerset.

KBB executive director Susan Harvey called the situation “disgusting and disheartening”.

This isn’t the first time KBB volunteers have gone out and cleaned an area, only to have the same problem re-emerge a few weeks later.

Mrs. Harvey said: “Fly-tipping or dumping has become one of the ugliest forms of damaging the environment and it is not easy to control. We need tougher and enforceable legislation. We need Government to speak up and condemn the practice in no uncertain terms.”

The Ministry of Works and Engineering is already busy at work on the problem, trying to revamp the Waste and Littering Control Act (1987) to give it more teeth. But so far no new law is in place yet.

KBB is particularly keen to protect areas like Lodge Point Lane because it may not get the same attention as other local parks and campgrounds.

Mrs. Harvey said: “Places like the Lodge Point campground are there for those of us who do not have deep pockets but still want a holiday away from home beneath the stars and beside the water. Dumping cheapens the experience and blights the dream.”

Without an identifying piece of information from the pile of garbage, there’s little chance to catch the culprit — especially because they tend to pick areas that are little travelled or under patrolled.

Mrs. Harvey added: “The peninsula is lapped by calm water and forms a perfect seaside spot for families who like a break from the home to spend a week or a weekend.

“But it is this secluded character that makes it so attractive to irresponsible truckers who either cannot be bothered to dispose of their loads in the appropriate place or do not want to pay the charges made at Tynes Bay.”

KBB says the best way to combat this problem is to get everyone involved in the process of catching illegal dumping while it’s happening and then reporting it to authorities.