'Raleigh should be a gem': Women wage war on litter in their neighborhood, hope to inspire others

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- One woman in west Raleigh has taken it upon herself to clean up the area by picking up trash every single day. She said it's her contribution to the neighborhood and wants some help.

Mignon Tucker's days consist of taking the dog out for a walk and collecting garbage in her neighborhood while she's outside.

It's a hobby that she feels has turned into a job.

"North Carolina is a beautiful state. Raleigh is a beautiful city. Wake County is great. But you drive down the road, and there's so much garbage on the street," Tucker said.

Every day on her walks, she collects one or two garbage bags full of trash along Western Boulevard or Hillsborough Street.

She wants to keep her area clean and wants help doing it.

Jerri Gray has stepped in to clean on some days while using the Litterati app to document where the litter is to help the city prevent it.

"The purpose of all this is to find out where the trash is, what the trash is, what the conditions around the sites are that might be causing the problem and try to provide ways to analyze all this and, and come up with solutions. I mean, why are people littering?" said Gray.

The two women say they have found everything from bottle cans to used diapers.

"It's pollution. It really is, because when it rains, stuff gets washed off into the storm drains and then into the creeks, then into the rivers. And it all goes out to the ocean. And I think that's it's a terrible thing we shouldn't, it shouldn't be happening," said Gray.

Tucker said she is hoping people are inspired by her efforts and can pull together for group clean-up throughout the week. She expects a lot of trash to be present after the State Fair.

"Raleigh should be a gem. A beautiful gem sitting here in a field of green," Tucker said. "And yet, we're just messing that up.