BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. -- The City of Blue Springs is facing a growing problem. A Facebook post showing piles of trash is creating a call to action for residents.
People in Blue Springs are frustrated over the amount of trash off Interstate 70 and three exits into the city.
"When people look at the pictures and you literally see it, you go, this is not how we want to live," said Ken Horrell, a Blue Springs resident.
Several pictures posted on the "Blue Springs Neighborhood Watch" Facebook page have residents embarrassed and upset. Residents said it makes the city look bad as it's the first thing you see when entering Blue Springs.
"Pretty much all over the city, you just see the trash and it just breaks your heart to see our beautiful city and to see all the trash and the garbage that people put out there," said Horrell.
Horrell said he's even seen people contributing to the mess.
"Yeah, unfortunately I have and you know, it just makes you so angry when you see people do that because the simplest thing, take your trash home and throw it in the garbage can," said Horrell.
What the city said could have been just a complaint has now turned into a call for action.
"This could have just been a resident complaint, especially on social media, those can take off and go really negative and this was an example of that turning into something very positive," said Chris Lievsay, District 2 Councilman.
Lievsay said the areas are technically MoDOT's responsibility and it's a job they're constantly trying to keep up with.
Hundreds of residents are making it their own priority. Community members are planning a clean up on April 14.
"The objective of this weekend is to clean up the three on-off ramps for the three Blue Springs exits, so that's a total of 12 areas," said Horrell.
They're also working with Lievsay to get safety vests, trash bags, and bag pick-up once they are finished.
