County groups meet to talk trash

It seems everyone is talking trash in Ector County.

Ted Yelley, investigator with the county’s environmental enforcement agency, County Attorney Cindy Weir-Nutter, County Attorney investigator Rickey George and Clean Up West Odessa member Beverly Ferguson met Tuesday afternoon in the county attorney’s office to discuss new ways to get people involved in an effort to clean-up Ector County.

“We have more places to pick up trash than volunteers,” Yelley said.

Weir-Nutter said anyone who wishes to volunteer can call the county attorney’s office to find out where different clean-up groups will be working.

“The more people we have, the better job we can do,” Weir-Nutter said.

With trash becoming a more prominent issue in the county, Yelley said he is trying to get local and corporate companies to volunteer either time or supplies to the effort. So far, he said, only Walmart, 2450 NW Loop 338, has committed to having workers clean up around their area of the Loop bi-monthly.

To help combat litter, Yelley said he has also assigned environmental agents to patrol parking lots and fine those who are caught dropping trash on the ground.

“It’s $250 for the first offense,” Yelley said.

George, who also works with the Pretrial Intervention Fund — a program that helps first-time misdemeanor offenders avoid jail time — said he has about 40 people who have been helping pick up around the county since the program started in October.

“Since then, we have picked up more than 350 bags of trash,” George said.

Yelley said the county has also been in talks with members of the city and are trying to find find ways to get people to stop littering.

“We want to encourage people to clean everyday … and challenge businesses to do the same,” Yelley said.

@OAgovernment