Elgin residents now have somewhere to take their recyclables, and the push came from a 15-year-old. Clara Tee-Ohms Yazzie, a sophomore at Elgin High School and the Comanche Nation Junior Princess, worked with Comanche Nation environmental staff and Elgin city council members to get a recycling trailer delivered to the community, which had no local recycling service. She presented the idea herself and placed the first plastic bottle in the bin on Friday.
The people who helped make it happen include Environmental Director Christina Cooper, Environmental Technician Dowell Bennett, and Environmental Services Coordinator Bryce Emhoolah, along with Elgin City Council members Phil Britches and Travis Bennett. Yazzie called representing the Comanche Nation a huge honor and a lot of responsibility. She’s a descendant of Chiefs Esa Rosa, Mowway and Ten Bears, and she previously served as the 2024-26 Comanche Indian Veterans Association Princess.
Her case for the project is straightforward: recycling keeps waste out of dumps and out of local lakes and creeks. Around Lawton and Elgin, those creeks and the Wichita Mountains are part of daily life, so the impact is easy to picture. The trailer gives residents a practical way to keep everyday plastic out of the waste stream without driving out of town.
What’s your town doing about recycling, and who’s leading the charge where you live?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.