My husband and I are concerned about the blossoming trash in our county. (Monroe County, Georgia) We live next to a creek and bridge and have to haul off televisions, dead dogs, deer carcasses, refrigerators, food wrappers, Styrofoam cups, beer bottles and garbage bags full of trash from the creek and roadside. And we are only two miles from a recycling center. People who leave trash bags don’t realize they can be located via a bill envelope or some other identifying piece of paper. I’ve yet to find a trash bag without a name and address. We have a friend who found two bags of trash on the Ocmulgee River bank. When he discovered the person’s name in the trash was a Monroe County elected official he was stunned. Without missing a beat he drove to the person’s house and put the garbage on his porch with a note. "You left this at the Ocmulgee River!"

When we find the name and address of the person in the trash bags we give it to Maxine Allen with the Monroe County solid waste division and she sends them a letter but says there is not much else she can do. Monroe County has a $1,000 fine posted on our roads for littering that does not get enforced. Maxine says law enforcement agents are the only ones that can prosecute and they don’t because our Magistrate Judge does not enforce the ordinance based on prima-facie evidence. Meaning a law enforcement agent would have to see the person dump the trash, which would be highly unlikely.

The City Council and County Commissioners need to update their "Georgia Clean Communities Act of 2002" Ordinances to help with enforcement. We will be electing a new Magistrate Judge this November who could set up an Environmental Court similar to other Georgia counties to keep Monroe County clean. The Georgia Senate established an Environmental Court system in 1996 (Senate Bill 108) to hear violations that impact safety and sanitation that include littering, illegal dumping and accumulation of solid waste and focuses on bringing violations into compliance. If fines and penalties are not sufficient then jail sentences are imposed.

The "Georgia Clean Communication Act 2002" (House Bill 1343) recognizes that enforcement should not only be the role of the law enforcement department and that it is more effective when they work in partnership with the community and its citizens, local public agencies and the courts. Citizens policing the streets add more "eyes’ to enforcement. The community should offer "hotlines" and websites to report violators. The first violation is usually a letter. Citizens reporting violations can remain anonymous or according to House Bill 1343 can be appointed by the court to witness or testify in court to enforce the litter ordinance.

Residence in Counties with anti-littering campaigns, citizen policing, and environmental courts report less litter in their neighborhoods.

To learn more about anti-littering campaigns, Environmental courts and empowering citizens go to: