An unsightly problem is piling up in part of Fairfax County.

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Mollie Loeffler says she is sick of other people who litter in neighborhood, and now she's on a mission to give the Mason District a clean sweep. She and her fellow neighborhood activists have declared a war on trash.

"It's just been piling up ... and we've had enough," Loeffler said.

Garbage is such a problem along Route 7 in Fairfax County that clean-up crews and neighbors can't keep up.

"It does send a negative message about our district; it makes it seem like we don't care," Loeffler said.

Loeffler is calling elected leaders to the table this week to plot out a plan of attack in a community forum.

Priscilla Weck said she understands Loeffler's frustration. For a decade, she has helped to plan one of the area's most well-known volunteer clean-up efforts.

"When we started Culmore Cleanup 10 years ago, we had a lot of trash everywhere. It was really very bad," Weck said.

Twice per year neighbors clean eight miles of Fairfax County roads, picking up what others leave behind.

"People see trash someplace and then they say, 'Oh, that's a place to throw trash,' and so they throw some more there," Weck said.

Neighbors say the problem is so big, it will take more than volunteers to make a clean sweep.

"We're saying we need the leadership to step up and help out," Loeffler said.

The community forum is Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at Alexandria's Peace Lutheran Church. The next Culmore Cleanup is April 28.