KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When Kimberly Hart bought two homes from Kansas City's land bank in 2016, she didn't know she'd face an uphill battle with illegal dumping.
"It's all over the place. People dump things there. It's really disgusting. And it's demoralizing. You know, it's not how it should be," Hart said.
In the beginning, she worked with illegal dumping investigator Alan Ashurst to curb the amount of trash strewn in the area of 24th and Lawndale near Blue Valley Park.
"And I don't know why I don't know if it's the two-bag trash limit, or people aren't aware of what they need to do to call for bulky item pickup," Hart said.
The situation improved until recently.
"I grew up here, I played in that park over there when I was a little girl, so it breaks my heart to see it like this," said Nancy Simons, vice president of the Blue Valley Neighborhood Association.
Neighbors point to contractors using city streets and lots as landfills.
"They want to dump their stuff, they want to do the job and they want to get paid," Simons said. "And they don't want to pay for the trash to be taken care of in the proper manner."
Houseless individuals at a nearby camp are aware the mess is a problem plaguing this community.
"They see it all the time, and they are always very good about letting us know that it does happen. I think the issue is they don't know how or who to talk to next or how it's enforced," said Josh Henges, KCMO's homelessness prevention coordinator.
Investigator Ashurst says he's facing an enforcement challenge: security cameras keep getting stolen.
"In locations like this and some of these other areas, you just aren't afforded the opportunity to put them up because they disappear so quickly. In the places I can keep them up, they're great," he said.
Those caught face a fine that begins at $100. The average ticket is $550.
Meanwhile the city, which spends $2 million a year on illegal dumping, is working on finding solutions to the situation.
"We really want to employ houseless individuals to pick up trash around the city. So, we've got a couple of initiatives that we're working on with some partners in the community that could help address some of the issue," Henges said.
Residents say change can't come soon enough.
"I really think that everyone deserves to have a clean and safe neighborhood to live in," Hart said.
The city offers a no-charge Bulky Item Collection Program to residents who receive weekly trash and recycling services.
KCMO residents can drop off hazardous materials for free Thursday-Saturday at the city’s facility on 4707 Deramus Avenue.
