VANCOUVER – Some Metro Vancouver residents are getting frustrated with ongoing illegal dumping in back alleys and parks and one city says the practice has cost taxpayers more than $100,000.

In quiet areas of Burnaby, back alleys and parks have become illegal dumping grounds for those looking to save time or money by not taking waste to landfills or recycling centres. 

Cleaning up those items has cost taxpayers $115,000 this year alone, and the city says despite the possibility of hefty fines, hazardous waste like asbestos is often dumped behind homes. 

"They're usually tied up in yellow bags and that's how we can easily recognize it. Those are a hazardous material and so we have to treat them as such," James Lota, Burnaby's deputy director of engineering told CTV News Vancouver. "It's easier and cheaper, frankly, to just leave it in a back alley."

Hazardous waste can be packaged up and taken to local landfill and recycling centres for a fee. 

But for those looking to get rid of non-hazardous household items like mattresses and couches, Burnaby has a free curbside pick-up program. 

"We try to make it easy for people to do it properly," Lota said. 

Anyone with a large item that needs to be picked up can call the city ahead of time to arrange a collection date. 

Hoping to curb illegal dumping, Burnaby says it may soon raise its fines even higher.