Instead of enjoying picturesque views of Wollongong Harbour, she is forced to watch rats climbing over piles of dirty mattresses, wardrobes, fridges and other junk illegally dumped on Wilson Street near the Boat Harbour Motel.

Mrs Noonan told the Mercury the site had long been a favourite spot for illegal dumpers and often got worse around the holiday period when people sought a quick way to get rid of rubbish.

She went to Wollongong City Council last week with images of the rubbish pile after weeks of watching the refuse build up.

"It was disgusting - I'd never seen rats there before and I knew I had to do something. It made me feel sick," she said.

"[The rubbish] had been there since Christmas and I'd just watched it get worse over time.

"People come in cars and dump it and then they just drive away. It's been going on for years."

A council spokeswoman said the site was privately owned and not within the council's jurisdiction.

The land is owned by the Department of Housing.

The site was cleared yesterday morning but Ms Noonan said it was not enough to deter dumpers.

"There needs to be a sign there," she said.

"People just don't care, they're happy to throw stuff anywhere. It's just awful."

The Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) said yesterday that it had been made aware of rubbish building up at the site over the holiday period.

"FACS provides a skip bin at this complex for the common use of tenants in addition to the usual individual wheelie bins," a spokesman said.

"We are advised that illegal dumping of furniture has been creating difficulties in accessing the skip bin to empty it.

"Contractors attended the site this morning and removed most of the rubbish. Remaining items will be removed by a recycler by tomorrow."

The spokesman said Housing NSW tenants could report illegal dumping by calling the 24-hour hotline 1300 HOUSING (468 746).