When considering a career, Victoria Carrillo wanted a job that would always be there no matter economic conditions or changes in technology. As it turned out, Carrillo needed to look no further than the nearest wastebasket.
Carrillo is the City of Amarillo (COA) assistant superintendent for Solid Waste Disposal, a position she has held for the past three years.
To put it in simple terms, all the trash in Amarillo goes through Carrillo.
“It sure does,” Carrillo said with a laugh.
As part of her duties, Carrillo oversees solid waste disposal at the COA transfer station and the COA landfill, which is the final destination for all city trash.
“Everything that gets picked up in the city, whether it is curbside or commercial, it all goes to the transfer station. From the transfer station it goes to the landfill. I oversee both sides,” said Carrillo. “At the landfill we compact the trash. I make sure we are not impacting the air or groundwater and make sure that we are keeping everything clean.”
For perspective of how big a job this is, the city produced 62,000 tons of trash from Dec. 2024 to March 2025. The city produces an estimated 1 million tons of trash on an annual basis.
“Amarillo is always expanding,” Carrillo said.
The COA landfill consists of 662 acres, with 12 massive cells for trash disposal.
Considering these numbers, there will always be a need for employees in the COA Solid Waste Department.
“When I started, I was just looking to get my foot in the door in a career that I knew was basically recession proof,” said Carrillo, a Pampa native who spent seven years with the City of Pampa in several spots in the Solid Waste Department. “We are always going to produce trash. It was really about job security for me at the time.”
Carrillo soon discovered there was more to the job and developed a passion that went beyond job security.
“I grew to love my job – from the top to the bottom,” Carrillo said. “It is the freedom to do a variety of things on a daily basis. I enjoy being outside and you are not stuck in the office doing one thing. I can still pick up trash if I want.
“I have learned so many things. I know how to weld and run equipment. It is a fun, fast paced job that I enjoy.”
COA Solid Waste Disposal currently has 23 employees and nine transfer trucks that transport trash from the transfer station to the landfill.
The landfill, located at 16250 Bezner Dr., is operating under summer hours (April through October) from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
And yes, residents are welcome to dispose of trash at the COA landfill.
For more information, go to: www.amarillo.gov/solid-waste/
