Pierce County crews haul 20 tons of items from Puyallup home | Home & Garden

It was a trash day like no other for a Puyallup woman, as she had to throw out practically everything in her home.

It was piled so high with trash that rodents and pests moved in. But she says she had good intentions.

Pictures show off the problem.  It’s a house in overrun with stuff.  A problem so bad, neighbors complained to Pierce County officials.

They snapped these photos before cleaning things up.

“Not much of the property could you get through,” said Yvonne Reed of Pierce County Code Enforcement.  “It was piled under tarps, or inside tents, or just out on the ground.”

The property looks cleaner now, after the county hauled away nearly 20 tons of trash, including clothing, computers, bowling balls, basketballs, food, newspapers, and more.

“It got out of hand, and I really apologize for that,” says homeowner Janet Byrd.

She admits it became a problem, but says she was collecting stuff to donate it.  A charitable cause, she says, that comes from years of being homeless.

“I had accumulated a lot of 99 cent things for the homeless that I like to personally give to them,” Byrd said.

Gift, or not, the county says there were issues of health and safety, as they found rats, and mosquitoes.

Neighbors said their concern was for the friendly 70-year-old woman, who simply seemed to have a problem.

“The amount of stuff she had collected bothered me,” one neighbor said.  “The amount just kept growing and never went down.”

A large amount is gone, to the tune of $8,000.  That amount is something Byrd will likely have to pay.

“It appears to be hoarding,” she says.  “I buy a lot of things at 99 cents and want to get them to people that really appreciate it.”

Byrd says she thought she had until a May 7 court date to clean up, so she was surprised when crews showed up last week to haul things away.  The county says an ordinance adopted last year enables them to go onto private property and take things that are deemed a public nuisance.