OKC ranked 9th dirtiest city in America?

[mugofbeer]

Virtually all content platforms try to make money from people viewing them. Doesn’t make the info either true or not true. At least this site published their criteria. Everyone can accept its validity or not. We all tend to love those that flatter us and denigrate those that make us look bad.

Well, truth and accuracy has a little to do with responsible reporting.

[Rover]

Well, truth and accuracy has a little to do with responsible reporting.

Right. But many people believe things as true and accurate if they agree with it and untrue if they don't.... sometimes even in the face of overwhelming evidence. And many confuse opinion media with news media.

[mugofbeer]

Opinion layed out as fact for national distribution.

[progressiveboy]

A big problem with OKC is the wind and the shear size of the city. It covers 620+ square miles so lots of litter and debris gets blown around making it look trashy. One thing that would help is if the city would more plant and cultivate trees which serves a good purpose as they generate oxygen and results in a cleaner environment. More landscaped medians with plants and flowers that do not require extensive maintenance and water. Also, put more trash receptacles all over the city and perhaps this will encourage people not to litter and do the responsible thing in disposing of their litter.

[Rover]

A big problem with OKC is the wind and the shear size of the city. It covers 620+ square miles so lots of litter and debris gets blown around making it look trashy. One thing that would help is if the city would more plant and cultivate trees which serves a good purpose as they generate oxygen and results in a cleaner environment. More landscaped medians with plants and flowers that do not require extensive maintenance and water. Also, put more trash receptacles all over the city and perhaps this will encourage people not to litter and do the responsible thing in disposing of their litter.

The wind isn’t responsible for trash. The size of the city isn’t either. People create trash. Flower beds and trees don’t stop people from creating trash and not controlling it. People using the outdoors as their trash receptacle is a problem.

[Celebrator]

The wind isn’t responsible for trash. The size of the city isn’t either. People create trash. Flower beds and trees don’t stop people from creating trash and not controlling it. People using the outdoors as their trash receptacle is a problem.

Of course people create trash, and the wind isn't responsible for stuff that it can't pick up and blow around like bottles and crumpled up fast food bags with food and packaging inside it, but things like plastic shopping bags, paper, wrappers, that stuff does get away from people and trash cans with our frequent wind.

[Dr Beard Face]

The human waste on sidewalks isn’t a problem here because OKC doesn’t have any sidewalks. We are playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers.

Ive had to remove multiple human waste piles on the sidewalks downtown.

[Rover]

Of course people create trash, and the wind isn't responsible for stuff that it can't pick up and blow around like bottles and crumpled up fast food bags with food and packaging inside it, but things like plastic shopping bags, paper, wrappers, that stuff does get away from people and trash cans with our frequent wind.

If properly disposed trash won’t just get away. Way too many excuses for lazy and thoughtless handling of our own waste.

[TheTravellers]

If properly disposed trash won’t just get away. Way too many excuses for lazy and thoughtless handling of our own waste.

Actually, I've seen things get blown out of trash bins that the trucks are emptying, so unless you tie up everything into a bag *and* it's heavy enough to not be caught by the wind, properly-disposed-of trash *will* just get away at times. Not often, admittedly, but it does happen.

[GaryOKC6]

I have noticed most other cities I have visited recently to be way more dirty that OKC.

[Bellaboo]

My nephew stopped in for a few days last summer. He said he wished Toledo was this clean.

[gjl]

Actually, I've seen things get blown out of trash bins that the trucks are emptying, so unless you tie up everything into a bag *and* it's heavy enough to not be caught by the wind, properly-disposed-of trash *will* just get away at times. Not often, admittedly, but it does happen.

I pick up trash in my yard every time the trash trucks run in OKC south of me. My side of the street is Warr Acres. South of me is OKC. We don't use big blue cans by the curb. Our trash service is still the old way with pick up by the house by walkers pulling cans on wheels and taking it to the truck on the street. I agree with people should bag their trash and yet I got chastised in another thread for saying I bag up leaves.

[Celebrator]

If properly disposed trash won’t just get away. Way too many excuses for lazy and thoughtless handling of our own waste.

It's not an excuse, it's fact. Could people do better, of course! Lots better! I am not a sinless waste disposer like you, I guess, and I have had things get away from me! Each day after the trash day in my neighborhood, I take a garbage bag and picker with me on my daily walk and try to get everything that has blown out of cans. Yes, some is due to lazyness, but we have lots of wind and some is accidental. Like Travellers, I have seen things get away when the trucks are servicing the cans and when they are running down the road! I have written MBI which is the contractor that hauls trash to the OKC dump from the Edmond transfer station and they told me they are doing the best they can keeping things in those trailers, but some things blow out. Not going to argue this point anymore.

[BillBennett]

I can see OKC rated as a dirty city. The exits off I-40 are atrocious. Not mowed, weeds, nasty gutters, litter, etc. They don’t even sod the green areas after construction. Why don’t all the MAPS projects include a perpetual maintenance program that would beautify the city instead of building buildings and parks that are not maintained impeccably?

[baralheia]

I can see OKC rated as a dirty city. The exits off I-40 are atrocious. Not mowed, weeds, nasty gutters, litter, etc. They don’t even sod the green areas after construction. Why don’t all the MAPS projects include a perpetual maintenance program that would beautify the city instead of building buildings and parks that are not maintained impeccably?

It's generally not a good idea to tie a perpetually reoccurring cost like that to a "temporary" program like MAPS - the idea being that although voters have blessed renewals of the MAPS program every time since the beginning, each round is still time-limited and there is the possibility that future MAPS programs could fail at the ballot box. Also keep in mind that ODOT - not the city - is responsible for maintenance and cleanup along the highways and on/off ramps.

That said, I 100% agree that both OKC and ODOT needs to fund further beautification efforts through regular ongoing maintenance and garbage collection. The wind works against us here so we really need to step up efforts to keep things looking tidy and nice.