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'I Just Got Tired Of Seeing It': Baltimore Man, Neighbors Take Trash Cleanup Into Their Own Hands

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A Baltimore man and a few friends are making a difference in their neighborhood by picking up one piece of trash at a time.

Victor Oats is about as Baltimore as they come, right down to his tattoos of Bo and The Bird, but he doesn't understand why people trash where they live.

He took off work Friday so he could clean up litter under Interstate 295.

No one asked him to do so, he's not part of a non-profit or a church or taking part in a day of service; he just lives nearby.

"I just got tired of seeing it," Oats said.

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Three years ago, he and his daughter Zoe cleaned up their block. He asked for help on Facebook and the cleanup became a regular thing.

"I love it, it's one of the most fun things I do all week and I do a lot of things," he said. "There's just something about riding by later and seeing it's still clean."

His love of the environment came from his mom, and now he's passing it on to his daughter.

"It's like a treasure hunt," Zoe said.

His neighborhood friend Heather is another regular.

"It's kind of like instant gratification," she said. "You see an immediate improvement to the area. We've already had people drive by and say thanks."

Oats has also recruited his stepfather.

"Why these people want to come in here and throw the trash when they could take it to the landfill for free, doesn't make any sense to me," he said.

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