Fighting illegal dumping is a challenge in county

Public awareness is key, as officials ask for community to help in effort

As the Muhlenberg County Fiscal Court plans to focus on trash and litter removal, a public awareness campaign might be just around the corner. The court is working on several factors to combat roadside trash and litter, but the public must help in the effort to make headway.

Muhlenberg County Deputy Jailer Josh Wright heads up a crew of five laborers who are inmates being held at the Muhlenberg County Detention Center. They spend most of their work days traveling the county roads, cleaning up trash and litter. The fiscal court is looking into the possibility of adding a second crew.

Wright said just days after cleaning up a section of Cleaton Road, between Highway 431 and the Highway 189 Bypass, the crew returned to pick up more than 80 tires, discarded by the side of the road. A six mile stretch along the Bypass yielded enough garbage to fill 216 bags, between the intersection of highways 62 and 189 in Greenville and Walmart in Central City.

A crew of laborers incarcerated at Muhlenberg County Detention Center worked to clean up litter and trash from the side of the road on State Route 1163 on April 30. The trailer is full of trash collected along the eight mile stretch of road. (Leader-News photo/Stacie Barton)

County Judge Executive Curtis McGehee said cleaning up the county’s roadways is important in presenting a good impression to outside industry looking to locate in the area, but also a way for residents to feel pride in the place where they live.

“This is our community,” McGehee said. “And when you throw something on the side of the road, you’re throwing it, so to speak, in your own backyard.”

Motorists throwing trash from their car window is a factor in the litter problem, and it is illegal as well. McGehee said when people witness someone littering or dumping trash illegally, they should report it. He recommends calling the non-emergency line at Muhlenberg County 911, at 270-338-2000 to make a report.

It’s not just sacks from fast food restaurants, McGehee said. He is more concerned about the plastic water and soda bottles that end up on the side of the road. They are not bio-degradable, and may last decades if not longer, when not properly disposed. “It’s going to be there for the rest of our lives, and beyond,” he said.

In the last 74 days, Wright’s crew has collected more than 7,000 bags of trash from roadsides in the county, and traveled 425 miles doing it. This includes 497 tires, and 2,500 pounds of scrap metal.

Waterways are another concern, as boaters and people out fishing discard trash into lakes and streams. “The Green River, for the most part, is the county’s source of drinking water,” McGehee said. “So it’s really important to keep our waterways as clean as possible.”

McGehee hopes to partner with the school district and health department, as well as civic groups, to raise awareness of the problem, and begin to educate the public on the need to properly dispose of trash and litter. “And I think it’s something that every family can be involved in. We need some ownership,” McGehee said.

There are sites around the county to dump garbage, and there are plans in the works to build a transfer station that would allow for garbage dumping to be charged by weight. At this time, the cost is $10 for a truck-load, and $20 for a trailer-load. There are sanitation sites in South Carrollton, Greenville and Belton. For more information about how to properly dispose of garbage and larger items, contact the county’s Public Works Department at 270-338-1740.