CLEVELAND — A local Cleveland homeowner, a self-proclaimed "Drone Avenger," is helping expose and clean up illegal dump sites throughout the city.
Ed McDonald uses his own drone, equipped with a video camera, to document eyesores that plague neighborhoods across Cleveland. There are approximately 3,000 illegal dump sites across city, according to the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Environmental Crimes Task Force. These sites can be toxic and leave taxpayers on the hook for clean-up.
McDonald's videos are posted on social media and have already helped the task force successfully investigate illegal dump sites.
He said he launched his one-man battle against illegal dumping after "becoming tired" of driving past properties that were trashed with garbage, scrap tires and other materials.
"I'm tired of driving past and hearing there's a property and nobody wants to do anything about it," McDonald said. "When you see it from the air -- an aerial shot of it -- man, it opens a whole property and you're like, wow, that's crazy."
His goal is to clean up neighborhoods and protect property values from eyesores that can degrade the quality of life for those who live nearby.
"You put it on Facebook and people start commenting and they start sending it to other people," McDonald said. "I'm just using my resources and my tools to help my community."
Watch in the player above to learn more about McDonald's quest to make Cleveland a better land.
See more video from McDonald's drone:
