'Quit dumping on us': London farmer tired of illegal trash

A London farmer is calling out illegal dumping in the city.

Mark Rimmelzwaan farms near the border with Elgin County where he and his neighbours are tired of finding piles of trash on and near their fields.

“It’s gotten a lot worse the last two years, for sure,” he told CTV News London.

But Rimmelzwaan saidthe last few weeks have been over-the-top. He shared photos showing bags of trash and a mattress dumped near his farm earlier this month.

He said the pictures pale by comparison to larger finds., “Like full-on living room set, bathrooms, sinks, toilets couches all in the ditches,” he added.

Even more frustrating for Rimmelzwaan and his neighbours is the fact the City of London landfill site is just a few kilometres up the road.

Debris dumped near the farm of Mark Rimmelzwaan of London, Ont. is seen in this from from early March, 2024. (Source: Submitted) He said the city isn’t to blame for the mess, but he’d still like to see crews pick up debris quicker, even though he admits it won’t solve the problem.

“As soon as they pick up one bag or a big load, there’s more garbage there the next day,” he shrugged. “We’re farming out here. We don’t need it out here. We don’t need this trash! He said while reminding everyone, “There are lots of options. The dump is just two kilometres down the road.”