One defining factor that can be used to measure a country's level of development is how they deal with their garbage; it may sound strange but it is undoubtedly true. In Dallas as in other cities, people generate an enormous amount of trash. Since this includes food waste, it attracts vermin and pests that may carry diseases that are harmful or even deadly to humans. Infectious disease experts in Los Angeles are concerned that the trash accumulating in their city could lead to outbreaks of salmonella, typhus, or even a resurgence of bubonic plague.

We have two options with garbage: either we can hold onto it ourselves, or we can rely upon the city's Residential Garbage Collection program. The vast majority of us (I hope!) choose the latter option. 

The Department of Sanitation announced in October 2022 that they will be changing the garbage collection schedule and increasing their monthly fee by $1.51, which is definitely something to keep apprised of, but they have made additional changes in recent years that have proven to be a much bigger alteration to residents' lives. They stopped collecting garbage from some alleys, because they wanted to start using a higher number of automated garbage trucks.  

Automated garbage trucks are less expensive to operate because they only require one driver, whereas the old style of backloading garbage trucks needed one driver and one or two helpers to toss garbage into the truck. The problem is, these automated trucks require more clearance and are not able to navigate all of the alleyways. This means that garbage bins have to be left on the curb in front of residents' homes.

Not only is this unsightly, it has caused a lot of problems for Dallas residents. As with several other neighborhoods, some Perry Heights residents are calling for alley pickup to be reinstated. They say that there is not enough room on the street for parking, much less garbage cans, but they were told that garbage trucks could not fit in the alley because the utility poles would damage them. The residents convinced the Oncor power company to replace the poles, and the Department of Sanitation sent an employee to see the results. Resident Gordon Markley said, “we walked the alley with them and showed that the poles had been moved and we're ready for the alley service to be restored but we have no indication that's what they're going to do.” 

Markley had good reason to be concerned. City of Dallas spokeswoman Catherine Cuellar sent an email the next month stating that there were no plans to restore alley trash pickup to the area because there was not enough clearance for the trucks, but "sanitation will reevaluate the serviceability of the alleyway if conditions improve." So these residents went through this whole hassle for nothing? That doesn't seem right.

For a long time, garbage collection was working just fine... alleys and all. Sanitation workers were able to walk places where garbage trucks could not fit,  so there wasn't a problem. However, the city is always on the lookout for a supposedly cheaper and more environmentally friendly way of collecting trash. Their residents have done nothing wrong, but they are being penalized by not having their garbage hauled away. It is wrong. Alley trash pickup needs to be reinstated.