Trash piling up at Pt. Reyes after sole garbage truck breaks down, officials say

Point Reyes, Calif. (KGO) -- In the North Bay, a smelly situation is developing at a very popular national park.

For several weeks, there's been no trash pickup at the Point Reyes National Seashore. The garbage is beginning to pile up, and now there is an unusual request rangers are asking of park visitors.

Many dumpsters across this 71,000-acre national park are full of trash.

"The biggest concern is, we get some wind out here, the lids will fly open, and the trash can fly around," said Pt. Reyes National Seashore spokesperson Sarah Herve.

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Some dumpsters have signs posted that say: "Leave no trash, no collection services available."

The trash is piling up because the park has no way to get rid of it. The National Park Service has just one trash truck for the entire seashore, and it broke down several weeks ago.

Rangers say some of the trash has been transported offsite but most of it is sitting and stinking in a lot, waiting to be hauled away. Repairing the trash truck could take a while.

"Repairs are extensive and because we're using federal dollars to repair the truck. We have to go through a process, so we're being responsible with our tax dollars," Herve said.

Herve says in the meantime, the park is asking something unusual from every visitor: take your trash home.

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"It would help us a lot if visitors could share the burden with us by taking home whatever they bring to the park," Herve said.

That request is posted on the park's website.

Hikers and campers say they're happy to oblige.

The trash truck could take about two weeks to repair, according to the National Park Service.

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