Christmas Tree Drop Off

If you had a live Christmas tree this year, you need to know where to dispose of it, unless you have enough room for a nice brush pile on your own property.

The City of Wichita Falls Sanitation Department has opened locations at Lucy Park (at the back of the park near the river) and Kiwanis Park (next to the park maintenance building near the entrance to the park) for easy disposal of natural Christmas trees. The free drop-off areas are open twenty-four hours a day.

Only real trees that have been completely stripped of the tree stand, all decorations and lights will be accepted. No artificial trees will be accepted. The trees will be recycled as mulch and used around trees, shrubs and flower beds in each park. 

City residents can also use the Landfill or Transfer Station for FREE tree disposal anytime during normal operating hours. Residents are encouraged to take advantage of these disposal methods, as there is no curbside pickup of Christmas trees. Trees left out by the curb will not be picked up by sanitation crews. 


If you choose,  you may also drop off trees at the Inland Fisheries office at 409 Chester Avenue (off Old Jacksboro Hwy). Those trees are used to improve fish habitat at Lake Arrowhead State Park.

Anybody Know?

Someone just told me that when they take their yard trimmings to the transfer station there is no longer a separate place to put them. Anyone know the true scoop? I cannot believe the city would do this, but I am checking out the rumor.

City-wide Spring Cleaning

In my next column in the Biz to Biz magazine published by the Times Record News I tell the story of the first day my son and I arrived in Wichita Falls. After the green, hilly environment of Virginia, the plains were an adjustment. However, it wasn't the flat, browner prairie landscape that led to my son saying, "This is the ugliest town I've ever seen." It was the trash spread up and down the highway as we entered the city.

Fortunately, with time came an appreciation of the more subdued landscape, and generally the city has done a reasonable job of improving its appearance. Trash is still a problem.

At one time, Wichtia Falls had a Clean City Commission. The annual city-wide cleanup was one event that fell to the wayside when the Commission was disbanded. If you look around the city now, there are some very unsightly areas, full of trash and junk. I am going to go around the city and take pictures over the next few days, but I promise you, Wichita Falls is not ready for company.

Spring cleaning used to be a time honored tradition. Keep Wichita Falls Beautiful and the Clean and Green Committee are working together to spruce up the city in conjunction with the Don't Mess with Texas Trash-Off on Saturday, April 10. They're encouraging homeowners, business owners, civic groups, and families to get involved in a community Spring Cleaning.

Volunteers should meet at the Lucy Land Park Pavilion at 9:00 AM on Saturday, April 10 for a photo shoot for Keep Texas Beautiful. Keep Wichita Falls Beautiful will provide trash bags to volunteers.

To sign up go to http://volunteerwf.org or email keepwfbeautiful@yahoo.com.

Take trash collected to the City Transfer Station at 3200 Lawrence Road. There is no charge for your "deposits."

If you can't participate on the 10th, make it a point to clean up trash where you find it over the next two weeks. Clean up your yards and workplaces and take a trash bag with you when you walk. Together we can make a difference.