Results of a new survey indicate that citizens are not heedingthe call to keep trash and litter off county roadways, Keep LincolnCounty Beautiful (KLCB) officials told supervisors Monday.

Results from KLCB’s 2002 litter survey gave Lincoln County anaverage score of 2.3 on a 1-4 scale, with one being no litter andfour being heavily littered. The score was 17.8 percent higher thanin 2001 and was the highest average in the three years that surveyshave been done.

“I’m concerned that we’re seeing a trend,” said HomerRichardson, KLCB survey coordinator.

Survey results were determined by visual inspection and rankingsof 15 areas in each of the county’s five supervisor districts andwithin the city limits, for a total of 90 sites countywide. All butone area, District 1, posted higher scores in 2002 than in2001.

“It appears now it is fast foods and litter,” Richardson saidabout what kinds of items were found at survey locations, which arekept confidential.

Through county efforts, Richardson said there had been areduction in “big litter” and tires. However, he said many of theitems found were ones that were tossed out by passingmotorists.

“It’s really gotten down an individual choice of what you’regoing to do with your trash,” Richardson said.

Richardson said KLCB representatives had spoken with fast foodestablishments about the problem The general reaction was therestaurants are being as responsive as possible to anti-litterconcerns.

Jimminette Phillips, KLCB president, said people can call *49 oncellular telephone when they spot someone littering. Callers shouldinclude offender’s vehicle tag number, time and location and whatwas thrown out, and the Mississippi Highway Patrol will follow upwith letter to the person observed littering.

“At some point, we’ve got to get the attention of the peoplethat are throwing it out there,” Richardson said.

Education and enforcement remain concerns for KLCB and countyofficials. They said the county has an ordinance, but catchingsomeone in the act of littering is the difficult part.

“The bottom line is education and if you catch one, fine them,”said District 3 Supervisor Nolan Earl Williamson, whose districthad the highest individual score at 2.77.

KLCB officials cautioned that scores are not reflections ofindividual supervisors, but rather the people who live in or passthrough the districts. They also pointed out that the city, whichhad an 18.6 percent increase to 2.29 in 2002, does not have alitter pick-up campaign like the county does through the sheriff’sdepartment’s inmate work crews.

Ronnie Durr, county litter coordinator, said pick up effortsproduced 8.79 tons of trash and litter hauled away in October and7.7 tons in November.

“It’s not that we’re not picking it up,” Durr said. “We can’tkeep up with it.”

Williamson urged working with high school students to curb thelitter problem. Durr said that was a tough group to reach, addingthat he had been to schools to distribute litter bags.

“You find the litter bags on the side of the road out there,”Durr said with a chuckle.

Chancery Clerk Tillmon Bishop also mentioned his experiencesgoing to schools to talk about litter.

“The problem isn’t picking it up. It’s keeping it from gettingput down in the first place,” Bishop said.