Some residents claim litter-bugs are trashing Columbus

A longtime Columbus resident didn’t expect to hear what a visitor said about some streets and neighborhoods in the Fountain City.

“They are trashing the city,” the woman said of litter filling the streets.

Those comments came from a person who formerly lived in Columbus but still visits a few times a year. Fast-food wrappers, construction debris, tire rubber and other items are almost an eyesore throughout a city that covers some 220 square miles.

Gloria Weston-Smart, director of the Keep Columbus Beautiful Commission, said a lot of the comments are probably true. “Talking Trash” is the slogan at the commission to focus on litter this year.

“It doesn’t just get there,” she said of trash. “People are putting it out there. It’s going to take people to actually eliminate it. You would think when they know better, they would do better.”

At the commission, the city gets comments from people who call or write after they visit Columbus. “They write and call to say it’s a little dirty,” Weston-Smart said. “To the people outside, I don’t think it’s that dirty. We do have a lot of work to do. It’s going to take all of us to do it.”

The litter problem has reached a point where she takes a plastic shopping bag during walks in her neighborhood. She also takes a pickup stick. “I will pick up what is there,” she said. “ It’s tough to change people’s behavior.”

A recent study shows the likely people to litter are those 18-33 years old. On top of that, the study also points to mostly men trashing the environment.

Most folks don’t realize that everything that’s found on the roadway can make its way to our main watershed, the Chattahoochee River, when it rains. Some items are flying out of the back of pickups where loads aren’t secured.

While trash may seem more visible on the streets, Pat Biegler, the director of Public Works for the Columbus Consolidated Government, said the volume is down. Two years ago, community service crews picked up 1 million pounds of litter from the roadways. Biegler said that total was down to about 800,000 pounds for the past year.

Weston-Smart said the commission is planning its Help the Hooch Clean-Up, the largest watershed cleanup in the Southeast. Residents are still encouraged to plan cleanups in their neighborhoods. Groups or individuals can get help from the commission with organizing the effort along with trash bags and gloves. “We can do those things,” she said.

One way to stop people who litter is in their pocketbooks. When Mayor Frank Martin was in office from 1991-94, he warned drivers who stopped at intersections and dumped cigarette butts into the streets. Instead of a detail on distracted drivers and those not using their seat belts, let’s get a few litter-bugs tossing cigarette butts, food wrappers and other items out the window.

There is a cost to clean up litter. “We ask everyone not to litter as it costs the taxpayer and consumes resources that could be used for further mowing and grooming,” Biegler said. “Columbus is a beautiful city and we would love to keep it that way.”

Residents should call 311 to report problems with litter and other issues to the city. To plan a cleanup, call the Keep Columbus Beautiful Commission at 706-225-4008.

If you’ve seen something that needs attention, give me a call

This story was originally published August 27, 2017 at 7:12 PM with the headline "Some residents claim litter-bugs are trashing Columbus."