Volunteers will take to the streets Saturday morning to pick up litter throughout Meridian as part of the Good Citizen Clean-Up Day No. 5. The event aims to help combat litter and events No. 1-4 have removed thousands of pounds of trash from the community.

 

Litter and illegal dumping, however, are a constant problem plaguing Meridian, Lauderdale County and the state of Mississippi, and it is unfair to expect cleanup efforts to keep pace with the blasé attitudes of some residents toward their community’s cleanliness.

 

Regardless of how it got there, accumulating trash in ditches, along highway entrance and exit ramps, on the sides of rural county roads and in abandoned lots sends a message to visitors about our town. Excess litter is more effective than a billboard in conveying the message that some residents simply don’t care about their community.

 

Why shouldn’t someone who lives off of North Hills Street litter in the Tuxedo community? Why should a resident of Collinsville carry an empty water bottle or snack wrapper back to the trailhead at Bonita Lakes instead of just simply dropping it in the woods?

 

The litter is far from where they live, so it doesn’t matter, right?

 

On the public service front, Meridian’s city government does have some measures in place to combat littering, but, as with most government functions, its tools are slow and cumbersome. Code enforcement officers can investigate and cite homeowners for allowing garbage to pile up and impromptu litter crews do take litter off city streets, however that process takes a minimum of several months to complete.

 

Litter is also a citable offense, although Meridian Police Department rarely issues tickets. Police officials have previously explained the burden of proof necessary to pursue the charge pretty much requires the littering offense take place right in front of an officer.

 

The city’s biggest initiative, however, is the Good Citizen Clean-Up Day which utilizes volunteers to make a larger dent in litter removal than what sidelined public works crews can do on off days.

 

Littering, even in a different neighborhood or street, has a negative effect. It erodes residents’ pride in their community and leaves poor impressions on visitors. That can have very real ramifications with fewer tourists coming to visit and fewer residents choosing to open small businesses and invest in the community, both of which mean missing out on economic growth.

 

While volunteers and city workers do their best to keep litter to a minimum, making a lasting impact will require convincing those dumping their trash to stop. To do that, we need to educate the community that litter is everyone’s problem.