AUSTIN, Texas -- Summer officially kicks off Friday, and Austin is doing some last-minute spring cleaning.
- Barton Creek Greenbelt overflowing with trash
- 2 dumpsters to be placed Thursday
- Visitors urged to pick up after themselves
Specifically, trash has been accumulating in the Barton Creek Greenbelt, and it’s gotten so bad dumpsters are being placed in the area.
“Oh my gosh, this park has everything. It has lizards, snakes, birds, flowers – there are different flowers all year long and water. I love to hike near water,” Jennifer Ramos with the Bull Creek Foundation said.
The litter problem is so bad the dumpsters will be installed Thursday.
"We have planned two dumpsters on the Barton Creek Greenbelt, one at Gaines trailhead and one at 360 trailhead. We have decided to put those in to mitigate some of the trash overflow,” Austin Park Ranger Program Manager LeAnn Ishcomer said.
This isn’t a new problem. Rangers say increased temperatures lead to a spike in discarded trash.
“We have just been overflowing with visitors. We love to see you guys out there but we would also like to see you guys packing it in and pack it out,” Ishcomer said. “Try to leave no trace there at the Barton Creek Greenbelt.”
Jennifer Ramos regularly picks up trash in the area and says it’s bewildering to see so much junk on the trails.
“It’s frustrating because I feel like they treat it like it’s their own personal space rather than a shared community space that we all really need to care for,” Ramos said.
Rangers say the what’s most common is dog poop.
“I think a lot of people think that maybe there is somebody that comes around to pick up dog waste but there is no Poop Fairy,” Ishcomer said.
