An illegal dump has popped up in East Chezzetcook, N.S. and residents are wondering whether the new recycling program in the Halifax area might be the cause.

They are especially upset because the dump site is on private property beside Catcha Lake, a popular spot for picnics and fishing.

“When we were little kids, we used to come back here with our parents and have picnics and so on by the lake,” says Jackie Randall.

“We catch fish in those lakes, catch trout and all that,” says Robert Crawford.

The RCMP patrols the area regularly, but residents are taking matters into their own hands by digging for clues in the piles of garbage.

“People don’t think to take their names off of pill bottles. They leave their mail in there and their names and addresses on it,” says Crawford.

“The people who did it, if they can find them, they should have to clean it up or pay to have it cleaned up. That’s the only way you’re going to get it stopped, if they gotta pay.”

CTV Atlantic’s Kayla Hounsell visited some of the addresses listed on mail found at the dump site, but no one was home.

Illegal dumping may not be a new issue, but residents in East Chezzetcook are wondering if the most recent site is the result of the municipality’s new recycling policy.

“Some people, I don’t know what it is, if they don’t understand it or if they don’t have the time or whatever it is, I don’t know,” says Randall.

But city spokeswoman Tiffany Chase says there’s no evidence of that.

“Since the clear bags went into effect in August of last year, we actually haven’t seen an uptick in the number of reports of illegal dumping,” says Chase. “Now, mind you, we would only know about the instances that are reported to us.”

Anyone who discovers an illegal dump is encouraged to call 311 to report it, but residents in East Chezzetcook say they feel they aren’t being taken seriously.

“I feel like if it was one of the lakes in the city and something like this happened, it wouldn’t have been here as long as it has,” says Randall. “It would have been gone the next day.”

They say they want the mess cleaned up soon and those responsible for the dump to be held accountable.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell