It seems like there's been a lot of “trash talk” in our newspaper lately - from the unsightly problems along our county roads, to Scott Waste Management asking for more money to help offset their fuel costs, to the state handing out it's annual grant for the cleanup of illegal dumps.

And while garbage may not make the most sensational headlines, it certainly is an important thing to keep in the public eye.

Just drive down any street or road in Logan County and you don't have to look hard to see litter cluttering up our otherwise scenic landscapes.

But like the different stories we've had in the newspaper lately about trash - there's a number of various causes to our county's litter problems.

One of the biggest is trucks that come through Logan County - many from out of state - that don't have their trash properly secured.

The unwanted litter simply blows out of the back to these vehicles and goes from being someone else's problem to being ours.

And then there's the the decades-old problem of thoughtless motorists who would rather just chuck empty soda cans and used fast-food wrappers out their car window than wait till getting home to dispose of them.

“We've got a lot of people in this county that believe the way to get rid of trash in your car is to just toss it out as you go,” said Logan County solid waste coordinator Debbie Nelson. “They know it's wrong, because they're doing it on streets where it's not so visible. That's where we find a lot of that kind of litter.”

Most of the time, the litter - both imported and otherwise - is left to the Logan County solid waste department to clean up.

But they can only do so much.

“We could clean some roads once a month and it still wouldn't be enough,” Nelson said.

This is where you come in.

You can help with our county's litter problem in a number of ways.

One of the best is to make sure your garbage is bagged properly when you take it out to the curb on pick-up day.

If your trash isn't in bags, it makes it much more likely to wind up litter on the countryside than making it to the dump as it's intended.

And it's not just enough to make sure you don't throw trash from your car while driving.

Make sure everyone around you knows the importance of keeping our county clean. And if you see someone you know littering, don't just sit back and let them get away with it. Call them out on it and let them know you're not going to stand for it.

Finally, if you see trash littering your property - pick it up. Even if you're not responsible for it being there, it's still your land. Take a little pride in it.

We can all make a difference if we try. Help keep Logan County as clean as possible.

- OJ Stapleton is the editor of the News-Democrat & Leader. Contact him at edit_ndl@bellsouth.net or 726-8394.