Rockhurst HS boys Clean Up the Blue River

Students, Volunteers, and the Battle Against Tires

Rockhurst HS boys Clean Up

When people dump trash where it doesn’t belong, it creates problems that don’t go away overnight. In Kansas City, one group has been working for decades to keep the Little Blue River clean, but the challenge keeps growing. Recently, students from Rockhurst High School jumped in to help.

“I was borderline ecstatic about that, that they took care of the problem,” said Jeff Bowman. “I just wish that more people would care.”

Bowman and his team have been cleaning the river and nearby areas for more than 30 years. Every year, they deal with piles of tires and other trash. But the problem keeps coming back.

“By the next weekend, there’s going to be more tires,” Bowman predicted. “I’m pretty sure.”

The students helped pull out 500 tires from one site near the Blue River Trail. Crews then came to haul them away for safe disposal. But by the very next visit, Bowman and his group saw new piles of tires in places they had already cleaned.

“This is one of the sites that we cleaned up four months ago,” Bowman said. “It was totally cleaned up.”

Even though the work feels endless, Bowman and others keep going because they know it matters.

Illegal tire dumping in Kansas threatens health and environment

“It feels like I’ve accomplished something,” Bowman said. “It’s short-lived, but still, it makes me feel like I’ve had a good weekend.”

Still, the volunteers are tired. They want more people to help and for the city to step up with solutions. As O’Donnell, president of the Little Blue River Watershed Coalition, explained: “We want the tire dumping to stop. That’s our ultimate goal. And we want to try and figure out how to do that.”

He even suggested a new idea: “If there is a cash incentive to turn your tire in instead of a cost to turn your tire in, I mean, we wouldn’t have all this tire dumping.”

The group hopes to team up with the city and county to create lasting solutions. For now, they keep fighting back against the endless piles of tires.

I think what the students and volunteers are doing is inspiring, but it shouldn’t be left only to them. If more people cared about their community, this problem would not be so overwhelming. Instead of dumping tires, businesses and people should look for safe ways to dispose of them. Everyone has a part to play in keeping the earth clean, and small actions can make a big difference.

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