By Staff
Anyone who's been around Brewton very long knows that &#8220Scotty” is Langham's friend and fellow golfer, former sheriff Scotty Byrne.
It was the second time litter had come up in January, so I started paying attention. Driving from Atmore to Brewton one day on Hwy. 31, I started noting the trash we've gotten so accustomed to, we almost ignore.
Have you looked lately? Some areas of our county are deplorable. Obviously, there are taxpayers among us who feel that they own a portion of the state right-of-way and are free to dump old appliances, worn-out recliners and household garbage wherever it is convenient to do so.
But mostly the problem is caused by people tossing fast food bags, food wrappers, beer and soft drink cans and bottles out of their car windows.
Remember the commercial jingle from the 1970s?
Obviously, the campaign has worn off or missed an important target audience.
So you don't litter and therefore it's not your problem? Read on.
At a recent Rotary meeting, a fellow Rotarian asked Coastal Gateway Economic Development Authority president Wiley Blankenship how individuals and the community could help CGEDA with its mission.
Blankenship never stalled.
Carol Gordy, who chairs the quality of life committee for Brewton's Alabama Communities of Excellence (ACE) program, obviously was listening.
Her committee is developing a plan to get community members, civic, school and church organizations focused on litter. Their kickoff will coincide with the April celebration of Earth Day.
Scotty, Wiley and Carol are all correct. This is a terrible problem and we need to address it.
Look for details of the community effort later this spring. Meanwhile, pick up some trash, teach a young person that it's inappropriate to litter, or call us if there's a particularly bad spot we should photograph and share with our readers to heighten awareness of this problem.
It'd be awful to lose an industry because they thought we were trashy.
Michele Gerlach can be reached at 867.4876 or michele.gerlach@brewtonstandard.com.