Hiawatha Parks are Going “Trash-Free” June 1st

You may recall seeing signs in national parks that say "Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints". Like many of the national parks, you will now have to take out what you bring in to the city parks of Hiawatha.

Hiawatha parks are going "trash-free".

As communities begin to open back up this spring, some new guidelines are being tested for the purposes of health, sanitation, and frankly to save some money.

The cost savings are a direct response to the situation caused by the pandemic. With higher unemployment and lower tax revenues being collected, everyone is trimming budgets and the city of Hiawatha is no exception.

The City of Hiawatha Parks and Recreation department released the following information regarding a new policy that requires park users to take their trash back home with them when they leave.

There are several reasons why this is important. First, it is the health and safety of all park users. Secondly, more people are using parks which leads to higher maintenance costs.

There are some legitimate concerns that the plan may backfire - park users could ignore the new policy and leave trash behind regardless of the new rule. If that's the case the parks could be shut down again and then everyone loses.

So for the sake of all those who use the parks of Hiawatha, lets do our part to keep them tidy by taking our trash out with us when we leave.