Odessa mayoral candidates speak on trash issue

ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – During Tuesday’s debate, incumbent Odessa Mayor Javier Joven and his challenger Cal Hendrick sparred over the response to the ongoing trash issue in the city.

“Everywhere I go, every sign, I pick up a hundred pieces of paper, bottles, plastic bottles, glass bottles,” Hendrick said. I’m shocked. I guess my eyes were partly closed.”

Hendrick is not alone, as local dumpsters are accumulating trash by the day. Joven tells ABC Big 2 News the city charter requires trash to be picked up weekly. He also says his administration is taking another step to fix the iss ue by purchasing new trash trucks.

“The trash trucks are coming, but I just can’t go right down the block to a dealership and buy a $400,000 trash truck,” he said. “So between now and six months, we’ll be receiving six that they’ve already been paid for. And we’re looking at buying an additional 20.”

The mayor also offered insight into the current trash trucks – addressing those who question if their trash is getting collected.

“Each of these vehicles are tracked with GPS,” Joven said. “So the staff at Solid Waste knows exactly when it was picked up, what time it was picked up and what day it was picked up.”

Hendrick offered another solution to the problem instead of buying new trucks.

“If we needed new trash trucks now, then we needed them two years ago, three years ago, and four years ago,” he said. “Why weren’t they ordered? Local businessmen who I’ve talked to who are saying, “If you would bring me a trash truck, I guarantee you I can fix it.””

Voters will have the final say on the issue come election day November 5, with early voting beginning October 21.

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