ISSUE: Litter

OUR VIEW: Volunteers owed thanks, but it is people who owe each other better than littering

A concerned citizen says: "I am writing this in hopes it will make some difference in the littering on the Kennerly Road off Highway 178, the North Road. In my travels down the road, I see litter all the time. It never stops!

"They have a cleanup twice a year, but wouldn't need to with a barrel full of trash at the dump or at home. Anywhere but the roads. When the county cuts the grass, it shreds this into thousands of pieces. My family has property there and with the recent upgrades of the road shoulders and rights-of-way, it is a shame that anyone could throw a piece of trash whether riding, walking or driving."

Indeed it is shameful so few people care about the natural beauty of our landscape. Litter is an eyesore that far too many people play a part in festering.

But there are those making a difference. The writer references "they" regarding a cleanup twice a year. Realistically, "they" should be "us," but give credit where credit is due.

Recently, the S.C. Department of Transportation has provided statistics on the battle against litter in Orangeburg County. In doing so, the agency recognized Adopt-A-Highway volunteers for some incredible effort.

In eastern Orangeburg County, the volunteers removed 15,240 pounds of trash from their adopted roadsides last year. In central Orangeburg County, they removed 9,620 pounds of trash.

The efforts were the work of 184 volunteers working 50 miles of highway in the east and 360 working 96 miles in the rest of the county. They are to be thanked. So are the 27,000-plus volunteers statewide who picked up 1.5 million pounds of trash from 6,000 miles of adopted highways.

Secretary of Transportation H.B Limehouse Jr. said, "We are truly grateful to the dedicated citizens ... who continue to demonstrate their long-term commitment to a cleaner state through their participation in the Adopt-A-Highway program. We thank each and every volunteer for their concern and hard work."

All of the state's 46 counties participate in the program, which began as a pilot project in Beaufort County in 1987 and went statewide in 1988.

As much a display of citizenship as the program represents, it is not enough. Consider how few miles are being cleaned in comparison to the number of roads in the state -- just in Orangeburg County.

The responsibility for litter is on the shoulders of every individual. There would be no need for such vast cleanup efforts if every person would be a good citizen. While there is no perfect world in which everyone will be responsible, Orangeburg County is a Community of Character where the message of citizenship and responsibility is to be stressed.

As much as we hope that all who litter will be caught and punished according to the law, that too is an impossibility. Many will break the law and not be caught. But when they are caught, judges should treat the crime seriously.

As the concerned citizen writes: "Let's keep all roads clean. ... It would make a huge difference."

Individuals interested in participating in the Adopt-A-Highway program in eastern Orangeburg County may contact Adopt-A-Highway Coordinator Marcia Birt at 803-496-3335. In central Orangeburg, the contact is Coordinator Willie Dean Stewart at 803-534-8371.

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