It's the beginning of the end for a dangerous large pile of dirt, debris and waste in Camden.

We've reported on the contaminated pile near Bergen Square that grew and grew due to illegal dumping, despite years of resident complaints.

Well, today, leaders announced the final phase of the cleanup.

And as Ted Goldberg reports, the announcement came with more funding to prevent future toxic dumping in Camden County.

We made a promise so our Camden residents to clear this debris, and we kept that promise together.

The days are numbered for this towering eyesore in Camden.

Mayor Victor Carstarphen says the last stage of cleanup has started for the infamous dirt pile in Bergen Square, the byproduct of decades of illegal dumping.

And I ask myself how a property owner like Wey Hill Realty Holdings, Let me say that again.

Wey Hill Realty Holdings, the former property owner and responsible party, could do this to our community and in our city.

What are we saying when we tolerate illegal dumping of materials in in our communities upon our neighbors?

What are we saying?

That somehow there are communities less deserving of natural beauty and environmental protection?

All people deserve clean land, air and water, and they also have the right to be informed and make decisions about the policies and practices that directly impact their health and the safety and well-being of their children and their community.

The City of Camden seized control of this property in September of 2022 after residents complained for years.

Locals told us that dirt and garbage spilled onto their property and it made the neighborhoods smell terrible on hot days.

At a news conference today, leaders said they hope to clean up Camden's reputation as a dumping ground for South Jersey.

Illegal dumping costs.

The city of Camden, $4 million a year.

Think about that.

That's $4 million that could be spent on a number of other initiatives.

You can look at every corner in this city for years became the dumping ground for not only Camden County, but for the South Jersey region.

But slowly but surely, thanks to our friends here working with our community, we have seen a reversal of that trend.

The city of Camden spent millions of dollars to clean up this property alone, and they received state and federal dollars as well, some for this project and some to prevent illegal dumping in the future.

We were able to deliver for the city Camden, almost a half million dollars for cameras whose single source is to look for illegal dumpers.

We're going to keep it from happening in the future, but most importantly, we're going to prevent this pile from creating any trouble for those who call this home.

Mayor Carstarphen says he expects the dirt pile to be completely gone by the end of February, but there could still be a lot of work to be done as dangerous chemicals may have leached their way into the ground.

Folks need to monitor the work site after the dirt pile is gone to see if that's the case and determine how much longer the cleanup could continue in Camden.

I'm Ted Goldberg.

NJ Spotlight News.