CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Chicago beaches have been home to crowded parties during the COVID-19 pandemic, but one city leader said there’s another problem: the trash that’s left behind.
Alderwoman Maria Hadden, 49th Ward, took to social media calling on residents to clean up after themselves.
“All summer we’ve been trying to deal with people partying at the beach, dealing with overnight parties in the parks, the least you guys can do is pick up your trash,” she said.
Hadden spent Monday morning picking up trash in Loyola Park including beer bottles, liquor bottles, a bag of charcoal and coals that were extinguished in the grass.
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She said the public is not going to have parks to enjoy if people don’t keep them clean.
“You come out for the beautiful sunrise to enjoy the park or the green space to get some outdoor space in a socially distanced environment, that’s great. You can’t leave this mess," she said.
Due to COVID-19 the beaches remain closed and the parks themselves close at 11 p.m.
One Rogers Park resident said they pick up beer bottles daily from those visiting parks every night.
Other neighbors said partying has become common practice due to a lack of routine enforcement.