DENVER (KDVR) — Michael White doesn’t typically have to go too far to walk his dog, Wagner. White lives across from the Denver Parkway which is usually where he and his young pup take their morning walk.

“I bring him to this park, there’s a couple of trashcans here,” said White.

Denver Parks and Recreation recently took away all the trash bins on the parkways throughout Denver, after making major budget and staffing cuts.

“We are down about 55% of our staff,” said Scott Gilmore, Deputy Executive Director of Denver Parks and Rec. “The trash cans on these parkways would only have four to five bags of poop in them, so for my staff to spend their morning driving up and down the parkway, to pick up 20 to 30 bags of poop, we decided it would be something we removed from the system.”

Gilmore said Tuesday his staff is still maintaining the parkways but trash pick-up efforts are focused on areas where people gather and stay, like public parks.

“Look at the parkway as being your neighbors’ front yard,” said Gilmore. “Pick up your trash, take it home and throw it away in your trash receptacle.”

The problem is, many people aren’t. Some are leaving their dog poop bags on the ground where trash cans used to be. Gilmore urges people to be more understanding of the change. 

“It’s a huge inconvenience for them but also a huge inconvenience for the parks department which is struggling mightily to take care of this parkway,” said Gilmore. “If you can get in your car and travel to Rocky Mountain National Park and pack it in and pack it out, you can visit this parkway and pack in it and pack it out.”