By: Claire Tribble
Two tenths of a mile. One thousand and fifty-six feet. Twenty-one bags. Twenty-one bags filled with litter that people tossed out as they were driving down Highway 127. According to Keep Alabama Beautiful, the average bag of litter weighs 20 pounds. That’s 420 pounds. In two tenths of a mile. It’s really sad.
Earl spent several hours picking up all of the trash that some people decided to throw out of their car while they drove down Highway 127. Did they throw it all in that small section? Probably not. All of the rain in the past couple of weeks allowed some of it to flow through the ditches. Nevertheless, twenty-one bags were filled with wet, nasty fast-food bags and wrappers, empty cans and liquor bottles, cardboard, Styrofoam cups, and the list goes on.
It’s sad for several reasons. The first being that people are that inconsiderate. Just wait until you get home (or wherever you are going) and throw it in the trash. It’s really not that hard. It’s sad because it shows how little some people care for their community. Another heartbreaking reality is that these twenty-one bags are a drop in the bucket for all the litter that lines Highway 127. If we were able to pick up the entire length of Highway 127, I wouldn’t be able to even guess the tonnage. But I know it would be unbelievable.
And we know, it’s not all trash that has been thrown out of the car window. After Icemageddon 2024, we learned that not everyone bags their trash. And not everyone ties their trash bags shut. When trash is loose in or beside the trash can, water, wind, and animals can easily spread it about. Loose trash is also prone to flying out of the back of the garbage trucks.
Have you ever paid attention to the amount of trash that litters the sides of the roads? It’s astonishing. And very depressing. Athens and Limestone County are growing at a rapid pace. This problem will only get worse. We can do so much better for Limestone County.
There are some things that you can do to help. First off, if you see something, say something. You can call or email us (256-233-8000 or KALBCares@gmail.com) and report littering. We need as much information as you can give us, and we’ll file a report. Bag and tie your garbage bags. And you can always have a cleanup! Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful will always support you. We can help you organize, promote, and, of course, provide grabbers, bags, vests, and gloves! We also have 3 cleanups on the calendar for this spring, and we always need volunteers!
By: Claire Tribble – Executive Director
Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful
December 20, 2024
