As the government shutdown went into its 12th day on Wednesday, the nation's capital was covered in trash.
Due to the shutdown, open-air national landmarks such as the National Mall remain open, but with services — like bathroom access and trash cleanup — suspended.
As a result, many of the city's top tourist sites have been decorated with overflowing garbage cans.
Empty soda bottles, coffee cups, and the remains of people's lunches spilled out of bins and littered the ground.
#governmentshutdown #shutdown Quick pic on my bike ride in. That’s the White House in the background. The National Park can’t empty trash cans next to the Washington Monument.
The situation has improved since DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the city government would take over while federal services remain closed.
Bowser has called for an end to the shutdown and said the city's Department of Public Works would take over sanitation for "properties across the District that would otherwise not be serviced during a shutdown."
. @DCDPW *literally* picking up the federal government's trash on The Mall.
“As we said when this happened earlier this year: Leadership is about stepping up, not shutting down,” Bowser said in a statement. “Regardless what happens at the federal level, DC Government will be open for business.”
According to Bowser, the city is spending $46,000 every week to remove trash from federally owned parks.
Still, the Department of Public Works is only removing trash from cans — not picking it up from the ground, WUSA9 reported.
Other local groups, such as the Capitol Hill Business Improvement District, are also reportedly helping with cleanup efforts.
Trash, and a port a potty’s spread across the national mall in DC! #Shutdown
Residents and visitors alike have noticed the increased litter since the government shutdown began.
"One man's ego holds hostage a whole nation with the shutdown," one person tweeted.
One man’s ego holds hostage a whole nation with the #Shutdown