FELTON, Del.- There's a pile of building materials and tires illegally dumped along Hills Market Road that has been partially covered by a tarp.

The tarp was placed on top of the materials found west of Felton to keep materials believed to contain asbestos, a known carcinogen, from floating away in the wind.

"It's a shame how they're dirtying up the highway like this," said William Messick, who lives near the road where the illegal dump site was found.

Delaware's Department of Transportation has acknowledged illegal dumping, the act of leaving large amounts of garbage or other refuse being disposed on the side of Delaware roadways, has become a larger issue in recent years.

DelDOT spokesman C.R. McLeod said Kent County has in recent months experienced a higher number of incidents involving appliances and building materials containing asbestos being discarded along roadways is a newer issue for the agency in Central Delaware. All but 10 of the recorded incidents this year involving illegally dumped appliances, like refrigerators, have been in Kent County.

Ultimately, McLeod said taxpayers from across the state are on the hook to pay for removing items illegally dumped by their owners, regardless of where garbage is found.

"There's just a big mess that we've got to clean up and there's a cost associated with that," he said.

DelDOT recommends when people see someone illegally dumping items on the side of the roadway that they call police and report what they saw.

Delaware recently passed a new law that could levy hundreds of dollars in fines at people caught illegally dumping large amounts of trash along roadways or other locations.