Albany- It's a typical evening in Riverfront Park. Kids playing, people enjoying the view, some setting out down the Greenway Trail.
"It looks so clean coming along here," said Geneva Odom, who had just finished walking the trail Tuesday afternoon.
But if you look closer, it's more like the trail to trash. "Citizens need to take responsibility for what they're doing," said Judy Bowles, executive director of Keep Albany/Dougherty Beautiful.
But the people who left this Coke can, beer can and popcorn paper don't seem to care. "When we do that anywhere in our community, we're making a statement about our community," Bowles said.
It gets worse. Just steps away from the sidewalk, it's easy to see illegal dumping has been a problem for a while. Bowles organizes volunteers during the year who help move some of this trash, so solid waste workers can get it out of here.
"We have to have everything piled up, so that they can get it and it has to be separated according to items."
Like tires and old piles of metal. But getting rid of junk like an old truck bed can take more work.
"So it costs you and I as taxpayers a lot of additional money for people that illegally dump in a place where they're not supposed to be."
A place where they're dumping old appliances and just about anything else they don't want. Meanwhile, the people who love the park the most are paying for it.
"We've got a beautiful atmosphere here that people can come to and relax and if it's dirty, people can't relax," said Michael Idowu, who was spending the afternoon at Riverfront Tuesday.
"We want to try to keep the place clean and decent so people will be able to walk and want to come down here," Odom said.
Down to the river to enjoy a trash-free evening in the heart of the Good Life City.
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