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Last Updated: Wednesday, May 6, 1998

Sheriff Hathaway offers tips to help eliminate litter

Take a look around you. Do you ever wonder how all that litter seems to appear and then multiply? Well, litter doesn't just happen, it's created -- by people!

Caddo Parish Sheriff Don Hathaway said there are things we all can do to help eliminate unsightly and unhealthy litter.

Daily litter crews comprising inmates from the Caddo Correctional Center cover nearly 2,000 miles of roadways in Caddo Parish annually and pick up more than 272,000 pounds of trash. Litter picked up on weekends by people sentenced to community service adds another 76,000 pounds. That's more than 348,000 pounds of roadside litter picked up annually under the supervision of the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office alone.

According to Keep America Beautiful, people litter for basically three reasons:

• They feel no sense of ownership in their community and simply don't care;
• They believe someone else will pick up after them, or
• Litter has already accumulated, so it doesn't matter if they add to it.

Sheriff Hathaway says, "While we may not realize it, litter has a costly and lasting consequence. Crime, tourism and economic development are affected by it."

We take for granted that litter will simply disappear. It will not. Litter has an unbelievably long life. That Styrofoam cup you see thrown along the roadside can last indefinitely. The empty soda can has a 500-year life expectancy; the glass bottle, left undisturbed, will still be there at the beginning of the next millennium a thousand years from now.

It is often thought that motorists and pedestrians are most responsible for litter, but there are seven primary sources of litter:

• Household trash handling and its placement at the curb for collection
• Dumpsters used by businesses
• Loading docks
• Construction and demolition sites
• Trucks with uncovered loads
• Pedestrians
• Motorists

Sheriff Hathaway suggests these tips to help fight litter:

• Set an example for others, especially children, by not littering.
• Carry a litter bag in your car.
• Make sure trash cans have secure lids. Avoid putting loose trash in boxes.
• Tie papers in a bundle before placing them in a curbside recycling bin.
• If you own a business, check dumpsters daily to ensure that top and side doors are closed.
• If you or a member of your family is involved in a civic group, scouting or recreational sports program, encourage the group to "adopt" a spot in your town and maintain it regularly.
• Carry a litter bag on your bicycle.
• Report areas where people have illegally dumped garbage to your local highway, public works or law enforcement officials.
• Volunteer to help organize litter pickups or anti-litter campaigns.
• Make use of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality's litter reporting program by calling their toll-free number, 1-888-LITRBUG (548-7284).

The Sheriff says, "Let's all do our part to keep Louisiana clean and litter-free. Remember, littering is not only unsightly and unhealthy, but it is also against the law."

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