Local efforts to help remove garbage and litter nationwide begintoday with the Great American Cleanup.

District One will receive the first week’s emphasis with theplacement of a garbage bin at the intersection of Monticello Streetand County Farm Road. The bin will remain at that location untilMonday afternoon.

The bin will be moved to a location in District Two April12.

Large garbage bins will be placed at strategic areas in eachdistrict for five weeks for residents to dispose of furniture,mattresses, televisions, clothes, building materials or other itemsnot generally accepted with the regular household garbage. Inaddition, batteries, tires and white goods may be placed on theground near the garbage receptacle for removal.

“What they can’t do is mix household garbage with what they dropoff,” said Homer Richardson, a member of the Keep Lincoln Beautifulcommittee. “That has to be sorted separately and disposed ofnormally.”

Cleanup officials also request residents not scavenge among theitems left at the bins.

“You would be surprised how many people scavenge there, and itjust ends up back there the next year,” Richardson said.

Officials are also encouraging churches, businesses and civicclubs to organize groups to remove litter from the roadways as partof the local effort. Free trash bags are available at the DistrictTwo barn for anyone to use.

Collected litter can be disposed of on standard household trashpickup days, taken to the dump or can even be delivered to theDistrict Two barn, where a special bin will be placed during thenational campaign.

When the bin is removed from District One Monday, it will bemoved to the Brignall Voting Precinct in District Two from April12-16.

During the third week of the Lincoln County campaign, April19-23, the bins will be located in Bogue Chitto on Highway 51 atBrister Street before being moved to the intersection of HurricaneLake Drive and Springview Road in District Four from April26-30.

The last week of the campaign, May 3-7, will find the bins inDistrict Five at the James Case Store on California Road.

Richardson said he hopes volunteers will assist continuingcounty efforts in beautifying the roadways.

There are six two-man crews staffed by Lincoln County Jailtrustys that are out each weekday removing litter from countyroads, said the Rev. Hubert Curry, a crew supervisor. A crew isassigned to each county district with one roving to area troublespots, but he said it’s not enough to keep the roads completelyfree of litter.

There is no doubt the crews make a difference, however.Richardson said several years of improving litter conditionsstalled last year when an investigation of the county jail causedthe crews to be removed.

Crews were returned in the fall when the jail came under newmanagement, but are still struggling in ongoing efforts to keep theroadways clean.

“We need volunteer support now more than ever to get us backwhere we were,” Richardson said.

For more information, call County Litter Coordinator Ronnie Durrat (601) 835-1987.