Wednesday, October 30, 2002

Put enforcement teeth into PTC anti-litter laws

If you look around you, it's easy to see that folks are littering more. The changes to the appearance along our roadsides and on the grassy areas right or left of the cart paths are substantial when compared to 10 years ago. Peachtree City's littering problems are still a sight better than other areas around Atlanta, but we are rapidly catching up in a negative sense.

I volunteer for once a month pickup along a mile stretch of cart path. I can clean the path on Tuesday, and expect to find it unreasonably littered on Thursday. My family and I now feel obligated to perform our volunteer work two and sometimes three times per month, and fill one to two large trash bags each time.

I perceive these to be the worst problem areas and contributing factors:

1. Areas within one mile or so of shopping centers that provide fast food outlets, and not surprisingly.

2. Parents and teachers that do not instruct their children and teenagers in the rudiments of responsibility with respect to littering. I would love to know how much littering takes place in their home environment. How would they feel if people threw trash on their front lawn? Is God not insulted when we trash His property?

3. The city poses stiff fines for littering, but catching these offenders does not appear to be a priority.

4. The most offending elements (estimated): paper products, wrappers, plastic drinking cups and spoons (60 percent); bottles and cans (30 percent); other (10 percent).

The cure (if indeed there is one):

1. The city should double (perhaps even triple in some areas) the number of trash receptacles (bolted of course), being placed strategically at the most offending locations.

2. More volunteers are needed to adopt stretches of roadside and cart paths. We should be doubling up the teams for the most offensive areas. People should contact the Department of Public Works if interested.

3. Increase the fines another $50 or so and get the much promised patrols out on the cart paths. Parents should be held somewhat accountable when their children are caught littering.

4. Stronger anti-litter campaigns in the schools where they are needed. Let's get more young people involved in some form of anti-litter community volunteer work, and offer extra credits for their participation.

Howard Bookman

Peachtree City