What appears to be a dead cat is among a pile of garbage dumped in an alley on Elm Avenue, and the homeowner who called 311 about the mess said he was told it's not the city's responsibility to cleanup.

Rick Hendriksen lives at 476 Elm Avenue and said he found a pile of garbage in the alley behind his house Tuesday morning.

"It's a fairly large pile," said Hendriksen​. "There's broken furniture in there. It has garbage bags, it has dead animals, it's sick, it's pathetic."

Rick Hendriksen says the city should clean up a large pile of garbage dumped at the back of his home. (CBC)

Hendriksen said the trash has started to smell and is afraid it will cause more problems.

"It's going to rot, it's going to attract flies, it's going to attract rats, it's disgusting," he said.

His neighbour Karam Ghobriel is just as upset.

"It's really sad to see such bad things happening at the back of your door," Gobriel said.

Homeowner responsible for cleanup

Hendriksen called 311 to file a complaint, and was told it's not the city's responsibility to clean up the mess.

The City of Windsor has a bylaw that states it's up to a homeowner to clean up the alley behind their home, even if it's someone else's garbage.

What appears to be a cat lies among a pile of garbage left in an alley behind Elm Avenue. (Joana Draghici/CBC News)

Craig Robertson, the city's supervisor of bylaw enforcement, said if Hendriksen could prove who dumped the garbage, the city could launch an investigation.

"If the property owners or the people that have been victimized in this manner can't prove who put this stuff there, ultimately it ends up being their responsibility and their cost," he said.

A bylaw Hendriksen finds unfair.

"I don't know why I should haul this out, it's not my garbage," said Hendriksen. "It's city property. Why should I pay for someone else's garbage when I pay taxes? Let the city take care of it. It's they're property. You can't even get an emergency vehicle through here," he said.

Public Works to look at the site

After taking a look at a picture of the pile Hendriksen and his neighbours have to deal with, Robertson said a Public Works Department representative will go to the site Friday morning.

He said they'll look to see if there's something that can be done.

The Windsor-Essex County Humane Society said it will pick up dead cats and dogs from city property, including alleys — Hendriksen just has to call to let them know.