National Parks Overflow with Trash During Shutdown

It’s the second week of the partial government shutdown, and national parks and monuments are overflowing with garbage and human waste. This has occurred because there are few rangers and staffers on the job to clean toilets and pick up trash.

On Wednesday, Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California temporarily shuttered its campgrounds due to health and safety concerns. The National Park Service attributed the closures to "human waste in public areas," Business Insider reports.

Overflowing toilets have also caused a problem for Yosemite National Park, which was forced to close its campgrounds and snow play areas on Sunday. And even the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is scattered with trash near the Washington Monument and U.S. Capitol.

Business Insider has more details:

As the US endures the second week of a partial government shutdown, national parks have taken a major hit.

With few rangers or staffers to clean toilets or pick up trash, parks in the American West have started to overflow with garbage and feces.

On Wednesday, Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California temporarily shuttered its campgrounds due to health and safety concerns, according to CNN. The National Park Service attributed the closures to "human waste in public areas."

Read the full article here.