Residents have been urged to take ownership of their neighbourhoods and responsibility for their trash after an assortment of discarded household furniture was found dumped on the Railway Trail.

The Keep Bermuda Beautiful (KBB) campaign group made the plea last night after a group of volunteer trash collectors discovered the rotting mound of garbage in Bulkhead Drive, off Khyber Pass, in Warwick during a clean-up on Saturday.

Among the debris along the railway trail embankment was a mattress, sofa bed, gymnasium rowing machine, water heater, microwave, television, lawnmower and the steel frame of a piano - besides the usual mounds of empty bottles, cartons and litter.

Executive director for the charity Lennox Boodram said: “People need to take ownership of their areas and if they see people illegally dumping trash and other belongings they should call the authorities immediately.

“We all need to take responsibility for our trash. Bermuda is trying to develop the Railway Trails for tourism but they are being used as dumping grounds. If people have bulky items to remove, there is a free service that will do it for them. The number is in the blue pages.”

Dr. Eugene Harvey helped to organise the team of seven that cleaned up Bulkhead Drive at the weekend.

The average age of the people taking part was 61, and while many residents and passers-by stopped to watch as they attempted to clean up the area and haul furniture up the embankment, he said only one man offered to help by handing them a rope.

The long-time volunteer said: “It was ghastly. It doesn't shock me anymore, it just upsets me. I have given up being disappointed. These items had been very deliberately taken there and dumped.

“I don't understand how people can do it. It's so damaging to our limited green resources. I too would urge people to be responsible with their trash.”

Anyone interested in volunteering to organise clean-ups for their neighbourhoods can call KBB on 295-5142.

For domestic bulky waste collection, call the Works and Engineering Ministry on 292-7454.