KSHB 41 anchor/reporter Daniela Leon covers transportation-related issues in Kansas City. Share your story idea with Daniela.
As Wyandotte County prepares to welcome visitors from around the world for this summer’s FIFA World Cup, one local resident is raising concerns about what guests will see when they arrive: trash scattered across streets, empty lots, and major roadways.
Earlier this month, a KSHB41 viewer named Mark emailed our newsroom, sharing photos of litter covering an empty lot between Sam’s Club and Planet Fitness near Parallel Parkway.
He says the problem extends to roads like State Avenue, busy interchanges, and fence lines along the highway.
"(I've been) a Wyandotte County resident for the past six years, and I just feel like as we are driving into this area, it is very embarrassing seeing the trash that is all over the streets, the lots, along fence lines in underpasses along the highways," explained Mark.
With Argentina setting up its World Cup base camp in Kansas City, Kansas, and future developments like a new Chiefs stadium and a Mattel Adventure Park planned for the area, Mark worries what visitors will think.
You're seeing on the news now so much about FIFA and the World Cup," Mark added. "Who cares? Think about what people see when they drive into this county, the first thing they'll notice is trash along the roads and in yards from people who just don't care."
His biggest question: Who is responsible for cleaning it up?
For interstates and major corridors, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) oversees litter removal. A KDOT spokesperson says the agency is increasing litter pickup and mowing ahead of the World Cup matches in June and July.
Over the past few months, many viewers, including Mark, have flooded our newsroom with emails about trash along roads and in neighborhoods across Missouri and Kansas as the Kansas City area prepares for the tournament.
KSHB41 has highlighted KDOT and MoDOT's cleanup efforts, but despite those actions, litter remains persistent.
In an April interview, Michael Rinehart, KDOT District Engineer said:
"All of our main highways are going to be a focal point for the World Cup. We want to have them clean, but it's not really up to us whether they're clean, as much trash as we pick up, somebody's always littering again. It's that untrapped seems to accumulate on our highways. If that could stop, we could have pristine highways, but that's not what we have."
Roads like Parallel Parkway fall under the Unified Government of Wyandotte County's responsibility.
County officials say they are committed to keeping streets clean and stopping illegal dumping.
Last year, the county invested nearly $100,000 in security cameras that read license plates to identify offenders.
Each Monday, crews from multiple departments target illegal dumping sites, cleaning up an average of 75–80 locations, though some remain repeat offenders.
"We're going out, we're cleaning it, within a week I'm getting a call from a constituent where they've dumped again," said Rocki Mayes, Manager in Buildings and Logistics for WYCO. "Out of those areas, probably about 10-15 of them that are repeat offenders, he said."
On private lots, cleanup falls to the property owner. The lot Mark brought our attention to is owned by Plaza Speedway Development Inc., with Block & Company, Inc Realtors assisting in marketing and property management.
A spokesperson with the county's Property Maintenance Compliance says seven lots near Parallel Parkway including the one Mark documented are violating grass and vegetation rules. While litter is mostly cleared, the city abatement team plans to cut the grass and bill owners.
Block & Company, Inc. Realtors were not available for an in camera interview, but in a statement to KSHB41 they said:
Block & Company, Inc., Realtors, is not the property owner. Its involvement is limited to marketing and real estate-related services for the property. The ownership entity is Plaza Speedway Development Inc.
Block Asset Management, which provides management services for the ownership entity, is aware that illegal dumping and littering on open commercial land are ongoing challenges, particularly in areas with public access, adjacent traffic, and nearby commercial activity. Annual porter and maintenance service agreements are in place for the property, and cleanup is an ongoing part of managing open commercial sites like this. Unfortunately, illegal dumping and littering can recur quickly, even after service providers have addressed the issue at the property. It is also worth noting that the area is seeded and baled multiple times each year for agricultural production, so some vegetation growth is intentional before baling. That said, litter and illegal dumping are separate issues, and neither is acceptable.
More broadly, we regularly interface with Mayor Watson and local officials on behalf of developers and commercial property owners. Regional and national developers, property owners, and property managers continue to express concern about illegal dumping, as individual sites can be cleaned up, but the broader issue requires ongoing coordination among property owners, enforcement agencies, businesses, and the public. We appreciate the County’s efforts to address illegal dumping and littering more broadly.
