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ADAMS COUNTY, ILL. -- A couple of weeks ago, KHQA reported on the problem of littering in the City of Quincy.

We heard from many of you who said littering and illegal dumping are a problem throughout the area.

KHQA's Rajah Maples took a ride with one Adams County resident today and was surprised and disgusted by what we found.

 Rhonda Vance drives about 7 miles to and from Quincy for work each day.

She said, "I just see trash everywhere. I take this route because it's scenic. It gives me something different to look at, but it's not pretty to look at. That's usually your down time, your travel time to and from work, time to calm down one way or the other. It's irritating to see all this. If I were new to the area, I would wonder what type of community am I driving into."

It didn't take the pair long to find an illegal dump site, which included a recliner, kid's toy, TV, trash and even a dead animal. We spoke with the Adams County Health Department prior to finding this site.

Environmental Sanitarian Leo Mueller said, "It's a problem. People like to take shortcuts and not show respect for their neighbors. You name it, we've found it. It's a fairly serious charge as it should be.//It carries a potential find of $1500 and up to six months in jail."

Vance has lived in the area for about 12 years now. She says she's seen an increase in littering and illegal dumping the past two years. She plans to pick up trash with her grandkids to help fix the problem while teaching them a lesson of what not to do.

She said, "We moved to this area because it was a nice, clean community, but I don't see that anymore. People might think that this is trivial, but it's not. You have to have something beautiful to look at in this world today."

Mueller said, "Illegal dumping is a crime, and it's just plain wrong."

Leo Mueller with the Adams County Health Department told KHQA you can report illegal dumping cases in Adams County to him by calling (217) 222-8440, ext. 131.

In other areas of the Tri-States, you're encouraged to call your local sheriff's department to report the problem.