Sledders leaving litter behind at Reitz Hill, neighbors react

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) - Sledders have been carving paths down snow-covered Reitz Hill, and leaving behind more than tracks in the snow.

Laughs and sleds hitting snow are sounds that residents often hear at Reitz Hill this time of the year.

However, all that people see now is tons of trash laying alongside the area.

“This is a great place for people to come and make memories, but there are a lot of memories being left around,” neighbor Julie Dietz said.

Reitz Hill is about one minute from Dietz’s house.

She says this trash build up happens every year, and sledders agree.

“During a pandemic, it’s great to have people come out,” Dietz said. “As you can hear, all of the giggles and the laughs and the family time - it’s great for all that, but just take your trash with you.”

“Just the difference between two days ago and today, we’ve seen a lot of things get covered up by the snow,” sledder TJ Ashlock said. “Coming down, you’ll spot more and more things you don’t see right off the bat or walking back up the hill.”

Neighbors are not only concerned with how it looks. They are also worried it’s a safety hazard.

“Definitely a hazard for the sledders, especially obviously there’s a lot of kids,” Ashlock said. “Those broken sleds, that plastic can be very sharp and with shards sticking up, you can’t always see it with the snow.”

Ashlock said he’s been dodging shards all week.

“We’ve hit a couple of sleds and pieces,” he said. Luckily, we weren’t hurt or anything, but we’ve seen them pop up and hit people in the face.”

As sledders come and go, Dietz urges people to just take home what they brought with them.

“We want people to come to the hill and make memories, not messes,” she said.

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