My magazine column next month is about garbage — the changes that begin March 1 and what they might mean to how residents see the city. Because, as I learned a long time ago, the only thing that really motivates voters is whether their garbage gets picked up.

Turns out this is going to be an even bigger story than I thought. City councilwoman Angela Hunt notes that parts of Lakewood and East Dallas will switch from alley to curb pickup, which should no doubt irritate quite a few people. Including me, since I’m apparently part of the affected group. It was nice of the city to let me know. How long would my garbage have sat in the alley before I figured it out?

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You can download this map to see if you’re affected (though it’s not easy to read — I think that if your street has a dot, you need to move the cans.) And Hunt’s colleague, Lakewood’s Sheffie Kadane, is already taking some heat about the change. Turns out some of the alleys in our neighborhoods aren’t wide enough for the new trucks the city bought to do once-a-week-pickup.