By: Claire Tribble
Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful’s success can be traced to one major source- our volunteers. We know that nothing would be possible without the funding we receive, but we wouldn’t need funding if we didn’t have such an amazing volunteer base to work with. We rely on the residents of Limestone County to help us at every turn. Lately, it just seems like every turn needs two more volunteers.
Our most active volunteers, James and Kathleen Cutting, kicked off 2025 picking up trash on HWY 251. They were able to recover large pieces including a tube TV, already full bags of kitchen garbage, boxes, furniture cushions, and more. A whole truck bed full of other people’s trash…I can’t decide if I think these folks’ houses and yards are pristine since their trash is spread down the highway, or if I think their places are full and this is the overflow. Either way, everyone has weekly trash pickup or there is a transfer station in Limestone County.
Mr. Cutting may have received a tip when he volunteered at the Eagle Utilities and Vault Company’s tornado cleanup, that there were a few tires in the creek bed on Hall Road close to Hwy 251. I only saw maybe 5 or 6 when I was driving by, but Mr. Cutting ended up pulling 21 tires from that spot. He left one lonely tire until he has more tools to dig it out with. Don’t worry, there was plenty of litter too, not just tires. I would like to point out that it was just last year that the Cuttings tackled the bridge area at Hwy 251 and Holt/Hall Roads, maybe 2/10 of a mile from this tire Taj Mahal. They had already removed 16 tires and 7 televisions from under the bridge. After he sent me these pictures, I told him that I have a feeling that we’d find Piney Creek full of trash if we tracked it from top to bottom. That’s a project for a warmer day.
Not only do the Cuttings volunteer to get out and get dirty, they dispose of the trash the right way. The newer flat screen and plasma televisions (and other electronics) go to the Limestone County Recycling office. They hold on to the old tube televisions until our Household Hazardous Waste Collection. They collect the tires and take them to one of the Limestone County Commissioners’ sheds to be recycled. This is a FREE program thanks to the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, and I hope that everyone takes advantage of it. As tires break down, they not only release toxic substances into the air and water, they also release microplastics (plastic pieces smaller than 5mm) into the water. These microplastics travel and are ingested by wildlife of all kinds.
If you ever want to volunteer with us, give us a call. You can volunteer on your own time, or you can join us at a cleanup! We are steadily filling our spring calendar with planned events. If you would like more information on the tire recycling program, give us a call and we can send you in the right direction. Every little bit helps, and everyone benefits from a better environment. And if you know the Cuttings, be sure to thank them. It’s not enough, but they surely deserve it!
By: Claire Tribble
Executive Director, Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful
January 3, 2025
