Fast food wrappers and beer cans line streets in Orange. On Tenth Street in the Old Orange Historic District, a pile of broken cheap furniture along with a commode, sat along the street for days. A few yards away, century-old oak trees shade yards with restored houses.
A group of people are tired at looking at the garbage and trash, and they are imploring the Orange City Council to do something about it. John Backer told the council members they could instruct the city manager to follow the city trash and litter laws. The city manager could pass the instructions on to the police chief, who could get police officers to write citations for littering and dumping trash.
Backer was one of several people at this week’s council meeting asking the council to eliminate trash. Most of the speakers live in the historic district. More of their neighbors sat in the audience in support.
“Litter is not a trivial matter. It’s an economic, environmental and aesthetic problem, said Leslie Barras. Aggressive code enforcement of the trash ordinances can stop people from making the city unsightly, she said.
“We need a strong statement from you to the city manager,” she said.
Sandra Cash (left) spoke to the council about the subject in April with Sandra Hoke. They call themselves the “Trashy Ladies” because they walk along streets and pick up litter. Between them they have picked up trash for more than 40 years.
Cash said when they talked to the police chief about enforcement, he told them to keep picking up trash. But that won’t work, she said. She gave statistics from the annual Trash-Off sponsored by Shangri La. In 2008, volunteers picked up 5,000 pounds of garbage, trash and dumped items. This year, they picked up 36,000 pounds. “Trash begets trash,” she said.
She recycles and takes her items to bins at the Orange County landfill off FM 1442. She said she heard there that a Texas game warden saw three people in a pickup truck dumping a load of garbage along rural Terry Road. He made the three pick up the garbage and then followed them to the landfill to make sure it was properly disposed. He also gave the three citations with fines of more than $200.
“If the game warden can give a ticket, then why can’t every other police entity in Orange County do so as well?” she asked the council.
But because speakers about trash took the podium during the citizens comments time, the council was not allowed to respond. A subject must be on the advance public agenda for the council to discuss it, according to Texas Open Meetings law.
Backer, who owns an insurance business on 16th Street, also talked about landlords in town who dump furniture and appliances on the side of the road. Some of the landlords will have different piles within a month. He said the city doesn’t pick up the trash at his business, so why should the city pick up trash left by tenants at rent houses.
-Margaret Toal, KOGT-
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