AUSTIN — More than 60 trash bags full of decorations and litter -- that’s how much Kellen Burke has already collected along Loop 360 this holiday season.
It's a tradition for Austinites to decorate the cedar trees there, but when those candy canes and snowflakes end up on the ground, that's when Burke said it's a problem.
"There's always broken ornaments, there's always stuff from last year,” said Burke.
Burke has lived in Austin for 10 years.
"In Austin we're lucky that we have all these wild spaces Wild Basin Preserve, Bull Creek, Barton Creek Greenbelt, Barton springs, I feel lucky that I get to go explore and play out in the wildlife here,” said Burke.
He didn't mind the tradition in the beginning, but said now he feels like it’s out of control.
"Really within the last two years I've started to think that it's a big problem,” said Burke.
He said he's seen decorations in Bull Creek and the Barton Creek Greenbelt after the wind blew them away.
RELATED:
"Once you see it as litter, you're not able to see it as decorations anymore,” said Burke. "I know people make a great effort to come out and pick up afterwards, but unfortunately the month and a half that its up, there's a negative impact that happens during that time.”
Now he's taking it into his own hands, literally. He's not only picking up the stuff on the ground, but actually taking decorations off of trees.
"People are going to think I’m the Grinch, people are going to think I’m going to ruin Christmas, or there's a war on Christmas or something and it’s not about that,” said Burke.
He said he has already gone out there about 15 times this year, separating the litter from the decorations, so that he can donate the usable things to Savers and Goodwill. He also tries to talk to other people out there, encouraging them to stop the decorating tradition.
"It's a drop in the bucket as far as the impact I’m making by taking these decorations, but the people I'm able to talk to is where the real difference is made,” said Burke.
A spokesman for Texas Parks and Wildlife told KVUE they're not concerned about these decorations.
They said they're only temporary, and think animals can avoid them.
TXDOT however said they get complaints of trash on the state road, and encourage people to pick up their ornaments. If not, they send clean-up crews out after the new year.