Solid Waste Coordinator Dwight Cockrill released the December 2012 daily roadside trash pickup report at the Tuesday, Feb. 12 fiscal court meeting. The report documents roadside pickup from Dec. 3 through Dec. 27 and includes numerous roads throughout the county including the 68-80 Bypass, Highland Lick Road, Hwy, 431 south and Morgantown Road to name a few.

Cockrill informed the court that this service is an expensive one and for the December pickup it cost approximately $2,000 of the grant monies received by the county to implement this program. Some months, said Cockrill, it costs as much at $3,000.

The program utilizes inmate labor to pick up the trash each month and Cockrill says different areas of the county are targeted each month. Unfortunately, he said after awhile the roads that were picked up on a previous month will need to be picked up again due to people and their disregard for littering.

“It is illegal to litter,” said Cockrill, adding that it carries a fine if caught.

Cockrill says this is not something the county has to do, but chooses to do. Each year a grant is awarded to pay for the program.

In the month of December road crews picked up 30 miles of roadway and collected 267 bags of trash and 17 tires. Some months, crews are faced with household items such as dead chickens, sinks, washers and dryers, car parts and one time, not to long ago, several marijuana plants.

Cockrill said tires are starting to be found now more frequently. It slowed down a bit after the state held it’s tire amnesty program last year in the spring, however, now people are starting to throw them on the roadside again.

Cockrill places do not litter signs throughout the county hoping to deter people from throwing their garbage onto the roadways. He hopes it reminds people that they are littering up their own community and will change their ways.