SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV) - Locals in San Diego mountain towns are used to the crowds that arrive whenever there is fresh snow. Locals say they expect the traffic and trash that comes with it, but this year, there is a new layer of mess added in.
“What’s happened there is with the restaurants only providing take out service, take out is a lot more trash than dine-in,” said Robin Boland, Executive Director of the Julian Chamber of Commerce.
She said the town of Julian has added more trash cans to make up for the overflowing bins, but they can’t keep up with the extra garbage being thrown away in their small destination town.
“Now you go up to a restaurant, you order, you get styrofoam, or you get the little cardboard boxes, you get a bag, you get napkins, you get forks. These are all things that now have to go somewhere when you’re done eating,” she said.
Boland said she doesn’t want to discourage visitors. Tourists are what stimulate their economy. However, she wants people to be aware of the problem and take steps to fix it.
One simple solution is for people to take home any garbage, rather than throwing it away in public trash cans along the streets.
"The fact that we’re small is not going to change, the fact that people are interested is not going to change, but what can change is the way we behave once we’re here,” she said.
She also encouraged people to come on weekdays when there are less people. Also, she suggested people book a stay in a local hotel prior to snow falling, so you can walk to the freshly fallen snow rather than driving.
