- America's national parks are overflowing with garbage and human waste as the US government shutdown prevents federal employees from cleaning toilets and picking up trash.
- While it's common for national parks to close during a shutdown, the Trump administration has opted to leave them open to visitors.
- Many parks have been forced to close their campgrounds due to health and safety concerns.
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."
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Overflowing toilets have also caused a problem for Yosemite National Park, which was forced to close its campgrounds and snow play areas on Sunday.
Excess trash along Generals Highway, which runs through Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park, contributed to the road being shut down.
Even the National Mall in Washington, DC, is strewn with garbage near the Washington Monument and US Capitol.
The filth is unprecedented, even for a shutdown, when it's common for the government to suspend all operations at national parks - including visitor access.
The Trump administration has opted to leave gates open to the public in the absence of any federal employees.
Many parks are now closing anyway due to health hazards and threats to wildlife safety. Take a look at the state of the nation's beloved parks and monuments.