Some of you need a refresher in how a good citizen disposes of trash.

Judging by the ghastly site of any random Amarillo alley, this town doesn’t know how to throw away the trash.  If you are discarding large items and construction waste at a random alley 10 blocks from your home's dumpster, you are doing it wrong.  That is not being a good citizen.  The city will come to your house and pick up any large items too large for the dumpster.  Just call Public Works and pile it by your curb, 806-378-6813.  The city is working diligently to clean up the existing problem in the alleys.

The same for yard waste like large tree limbs.  Give the city a call and ask for a pickup.  Do not drag your limbs three houses down to a neighbor’s dumpster and call it a day.  Do not hide your limbs behind the business across your alley.  If you wanted to be a really good citizen you could take your tree limbs to one of the city’s collection sites and get free wood chips for your garden while you’re there, 401 Broadway, 801 N Soncy, 3718 S Eastern, 8745 Helium Rd.

Being a good citizen doesn’t stop there.  It’s important to use dumpsters properly.  Some of you seem reluctant to close the lid after you have discarded your trash.  It’s as if you don’t want to get your hands dirty. But hello, you’re taking out the garbage.  We have enough feral cats without you making it easy for them to feed, not to mention a shut lid keeps plastic shopping bags in the can and out of the trees.  A good citizen closes the lid.

If the dumpster lid won’t close after you put in your trash it is not OK.  If the dumpster is full, it is full.  You should have taken out the trash yesterday.  Leaving it by the side of a full dumpster is equally reprehensible.  Bad citizen! You don’t get points for carrying the ball to the basket and leaving it at the free throw line.  Proceed to the nearest dumpster to dispose of your trash.

Boxes.  How many times have we seen a full dumpster, full of empty boxes?  Break down your boxes, people.  A good citizen always breaks down their boxes, throws them away flat.  If you don’t break down boxes you probably weren’t raised too well and never worked in food service.

The good news is, we have so much open space for landfill and trash disposal we don’t have to think about recycling or keeping much of anything out of the trash until 2117.  Let’s be sure and utilize that wide open space by properly disposing of our trash.  That means properly using our dumpsters.  And remember there’s no need to truck your junk furniture, construction waste, or other large items to some random alley around town like a wanted felon.  The city will come to you and get that stuff, no questions asked.  That’s being a good citizen!

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