our readers write

Lexington County Solid Waste Management department members are trying to curb littering. They handed out free tarps and flyers at all 11 of our collection and recycling centers to those who arrived with unsecured loads throughout the year.

We were happy to learn that the vast majority are upset about the amount of litter on our roadways and want to help. Unfortunately, most of the 700 people we spoke to were given a free tarp because they had unsecured loads which add to litter.

According to PalmettoPride, improperly tarped loads are the #1 cause of litter. Most of it is caused by a garbage bag that bounces out of a truck and spills its contents, not by people deliberately littering.

Last year, 1.76 million vehicles took trash to county centers, many on a regular basis instead of curbside service. That provides tremendous potential for littering.

This is what YOU can do to help:

1. Secure every load, every time.

2. Tie garbage bags tightly and take them to the centers before they disintegrate.

3. Use a tarp to cover loads and secure them with a rope or bungee cord.

4. If trash is in a garbage can, cover the can and secure the lid.

What seems secure while loading may not be secure while driving. Things shift, roll, blow, bump and fly out. Let’s stop it.

5. Report littering. Call PalmettoPride’s Litter Busters Hotline at 1-877-7LITTER to report their license plate, what you saw, where and when you saw it. They’ll get a letter and may be more careful next time.

6. Convince your friends and family to secure their loads correctly and not to litter.

Traude Sander, Lexington

County Recycling Coordinator