The Corpus Christi Solid Waste Department hosted “Garbage Man Day” to honor two local children who have helped educate the community on solid waste. Zackary Gonzalez, 11, and Jaxon Hancock, 8, caught the eyes of the Solid Waste Department because of their efforts to keep the community clean and educate others.
Last June, Gonzalez wrote a letter to the department asking for filers he could hand out in his neighborhood. Hancock, meanwhile, will make his parents stop on the side of the road just to pick up litter and do his part.
To thank the two boys for their efforts, the department gave them each an opportunity to ride along in a garbage truck, gave them a tour of the Cefe Valenzuela Landfill and answered all of their solid waste questions. “It’s great to see young members of the community involved in cleaning up,” said Philip Aldridge, the assistant director of the Solid Waste Department. “They are really the future leaders of our community, so we thought it would be great for them to see the process.”
After receiving the invitation to “Garbage Man Day,” Gonzalez made sure to prepare a clipboard full of questions for the garbage truck drivers and staff at the landfill. “Today was just so exciting for me,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a very long time.”