Volunteers and city staff kicked off Cleanup Week by scouring the streets Saturday with trash bags in hand.
The week from May 6-10 aims to encourage residents to clean out their garages, yards and “beautify the town,” according to the city website. At Saturday’s kickoff event, volunteers showed up to the Parque de Vida shelter, donned brightly colored vests and cleaning materials, and then dispersed throughout parks, neighborhoods and downtown.
Cleaners found everything from cigarette butts to Fireball bottles to boxer shorts. Patty and Chad Hill, who recently moved back to Cortez when Chad was hired as city engineer, even found a .22 handgun at the corner of Empire Street and Mildred Road. They turned it over to the police, who said that it was “legit” but not loaded, according to Patty.
Monday through Friday, residents will be able to throw out extra garbage at no additional cost. The city will pick up “cleanup items” that are set out along the curbside, picked up on the same day as trash day for respective homeowners.
Household trash should still be left in residents’ polycart in the usual pickup location.
For the curbside pickup, the city asks that all loose items be placed in a container, including yard waste.
On Saturday, May 11 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., the city will have a “drop-off location” at the Parque de Vida parking lot on North Mildred Road. Cortez residents can use this location to dispose of large metal items, along with branches and limbs for chipping.
Items that will not be picked up curbside, nor accepted at the drop-off location include: unbagged yard waste, air conditioners, asbestos, barrels with liquid, chemicals, freezers, hazardous waste, oil, paint, refrigerators, appliances with freon and tires.
Electronics waste will also not be taken – e-waste should be taken to the Montezuma County Landfill.
ealvero@the-journal.com
