The mountains of rubbish outside a Los Angeles residence dubbed the “Trash House” are back five months after sparking outrage in the community and prompting Mayor Karen Bass to say she would find out why it was allowed to grow into a “fire hazard” in the first place.
Sky5 was over the home on the 600 block of Martel Avenue in the Fairfax neighborhood Wednesday morning, where bags of trash and debris surrounded the front and side of the residence, nearly covering a car that was parked in the driveway.
Furniture and discarded buckets could also be seen in the backyard of the home.
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Rubbish is seen outside the infamous “Trash House” in Fairfax on Sept. 10, 2025. (KTLA) -
Rubbish is seen outside the infamous “Trash House” in Fairfax on Sept. 10, 2025. (KTLA) -
Rubbish is seen outside the infamous “Trash House” in Fairfax on Sept. 10, 2025. (KTLA) -
Crews began clearing mountains of trash and debris seen in the front yard of a Fairfax home in Los Angeles on April 3, 2024. (KTLA) -
Crews began clearing mountains of trash and debris seen in the front yard of a Fairfax home in Los Angeles on April 3, 2024. (KTLA) -
Piles of trash and debris seen in the front yard of a Fairfax home in Los Angeles in April 2024. (KTLA) -
Trash is seen in the front yard of a Fairfax home on April 2, 2024. (KTLA) -
A Sky5 image shows piles of trash in the yard of a Fairfax home on April 2, 2024. (KTLA)
The saga of Trash House gained media attention in April when neighbors told KTLA about the odorous plastic bags piling up in front of the home for months.
“I don’t really know what’s in that, so it could be anything,” one neighbor said at the time. “Probably stuff rotting, attracting rats and all sorts of things … And if something happens to his house or him inside, no one can get in.”
One day after reports aired, local Councilwoman Katy Yaroslavsky said her team would work “with urgency” to resolve the issue. Sanitation workers, some wearing hazmat suits, were seen soon after removing mountains of debris from the home. Many objects were found buried under the piles of rubbish, including a vehicle — an old Toyota Celica.
After being alerted to the situation, Mayor Bass went to the location to see it for herself. “This is a fire hazard, and I worry about the individual there, this place catching fire, him losing his life,” Bass said in April. “This is just outrageous, and it will end today.”
At the time, the mayor also said that she had just found out about the situation and that Councilwoman Yaroslavsky had not been in her position very long. “Both of us, as you know, are new. I am tracking this from last night to find out where complaints were lodged and what happened in the process,” the Bass said.
Even as the April cleanup was underway, some neighbors expressed concern that it would be a temporary fix. “It’s nice, but what’s going to happen once they leave?” said Charlie Topial. “Is he going to start all over again?”