Litter is on the rise in Peachtree City, both along the 90-mile cart path system and along city streets, officials said.

More than $65,000 in staff salaries has been spent on litter pickup so far this year, up 35 percent from the same time frame last year; this figure does not include the extensive cleanup along the July 4 parade route.

The city is taking a few extra steps to combat the problem.

One issue is that the largest residential garbage provider, EPI, has gone from picking up trash twice a week to once a week, meaning that trucks often become overloaded, spilling trash onto the street, said city spokesperson Betsy Tyler. Sometimes trash pickup falls behind, and that also exacerbates the problem, officials said.

If the problem isn’t mitigated by the companies, the city may modify its ordinances to increase littering fines, which now max out at $300 for regular littering and as much as $600 for littering on the path system, Tyler said.

“We’re asking these companies to maintain their published schedules, ensure their trucks properly confine the trash, and educate drivers on appropriate cleanup of blown trash and spilled fluids,” Tyler said.

The city is asking residents to help by reporting littering violations and testifying as witnesses in municipal court, Tyler noted. Violators can be reported to the police department at 770-487-8866.

Groups, families and individuals can sign up to adopt cleanup duties for a street, path segment or park, and a number of residents do so unofficially, picking up trash on their regular walks and placing it in the trash cans on the paths, Tyler said. To adopt a local street or path segment, call public works at 770-487-5183; to adopt a park, contact the recreation department at 770-631-2542. Online registration is also available at www.peachtree-city.org/pubworks/adopt.htm.

Local restaurants such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Subway have actively participated in the Keep PTC Beautiful program, as employees pick up trash on paths near their restaurants. The restaurants also pay for golf cart litter bags to be distributed to the public in an attempt to curb the problem.