Traffic congestion near snow-plays around Flagstaff isn't the only headache created by crowds of winter visitors. There's also the trash.
Coconino County Sheriff's Department and Coconino National Forest officials say it's a stretch to keep the forest clean because many people recreating in the area depart and leave behind broken sled parts and other trash such as food and beverage containers.
Photos distributed by the agencies show hundreds of pieces of brightly colored plastic left in the snow from broken sleds. One photo shows a small dump truck full of the trash.
There's no regular trash pickup service on public land so a county jail inmate work crew has been helping Forest Service personnel try to pick up the trash.
