KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The day after the Fourth of July is one of the busiest days for the Kansas City, Missouri, Parks and Recreation Department as trash litters almost all of their 221 parks.
"I was blown away for a lack of a better term," said Kelly Jander, community engagement officer with KCMO Parks and Rec. "We barely made a dent in things. We have dozens of volunteers out around the city at all the parks."
Volunteers like 72-year-old Johnnie Lee offered to help clean up after other people's trash.
"To leave it and expect somebody else to clean up after you, that money can be put elsewhere," Lee said. "Maybe beautifying the parks."
At Gillham Park, other volunteers like Max Goodwin felt compelled to help out.
"Kind of crazy that people would blow up this amount and not pick up any of it," Goodwin said.
Park and Rec officials believe there's even more trash this year, likely due to the cancellation of events and people shooting off their own fireworks.
"People put on their own displays because they didn’t have any to go to like they normally would," Jander said. "So every park pretty much got hit."
Hundreds of parks sprinkled with trash, simply because many people didn't clean up after themselves.
"If you shoot it off, clean it up, it’s not difficult to clean up your own mess," Jander said.
Those who would like to help out can leave filled bags next to a trash receptacle for KC Parks crews to pick up.
