Some citizens will soon lose their dumpsters in Amarillo, as the first roll out of the the City of Amarillo’s new curbside cart program took place today.
On Thursday, the first batch of plastic trash carts were distributed to neighborhoods in Amarillo. The first carts were seen primarily in the River Road area, as just a select few neighborhoods have been chosen for the first roll out of the program. Other selected neighborhoods are expected to receive trash carts within the coming weeks.
The program has been long discussed by the current City Council and has been a staple of the City Council’s agenda over their term. Councilmembers approved purchase of trash carts for the program at a cost of $250,000, and slated terms for the carts, including fees for replacement carts, and more. Under the current plan, each home in the selected neighborhoods will be given one trash cart, with a pick up schedule. If citizens are unable to move their trash carts, they can be moved by sanitation crews for a fee.
However, the roll out of the carts did not go off completely smoothly. Photographs began appearing on social media Thursday morning, showing photos of the trash carts blown around streets and front yards on the same day they were delivered. Critics were quick to point out the City of Amarillo’s statements that the carts would not “just blow away.”
To see if you are in the trash cart areas, please visit https://www.curbsidecart.com/.
New trash cart on an Amarillo street
Photo by Thomas Warren III