city of amarillo

The trash in Amarillo has been a hot topic for quite some time. First, we lost a lot of our dumpsters in different areas. Those magically turned into trash cans we got to roll into the front of our homes on trash day.

The summer months are over. The hot weather is behind us. It is a great time to spend some much-needed time outside. I did that the other day and decided to take a walk around Medi Park.

They're disgusting. They're appalling. And I can't seem to make myself look away.

It's been a while since our dumpsters started getting emptied just once a week. An employee shortage caused this mess in the first place.

I have been saying this for some time. The trash situation was just going to get worse before it gets any better. When they announced the employee shortage and the one-day-a-week pickup of trash I just knew this would be the outcome.

All good things must come to an end. That is what we always hear. We can't expect a free ride in life. There are so many different sayings I can throw in here. They will all cover what is about to happen.

I am all for doing my part. I am a team player. Well sort of. I am not a fan of having to be my own cashier at the store. I feel there are people more qualified than I am to take care of this.

It is always good news when you can get an upgrade at a neighborhood park. There have been several parks that have needed it. Some have already received love from the city. The rest are in the process.

It's been a hot summer here in the Texas Panhandle. To add to those woes we haven't seen much rain. We have been hit or miss for some time. We are mainly missing a good old fashion downpour.

So here we are in the middle of this mess that we call the dumpster schedule change. I mean since we went from two days of having our dumpsters emptied per week to just once.

I know it is hard to get people to work. I also know that dumping trash may not be the most glamorous job. It's a tough job and probably a very thankless one. I know that when I hear the city trucks in my neighborhood I really am thankful.

The City got together a group of people to form the City of Amarillo Innovation Team, and they decided to take the issue head-on.