The Great American Cleanup campaign is off to a strong startwith garbage overflowing the bins at the first location, officialssaid Monday.

“The first one seems to always be an indicator of how well itwill go,” said Lincoln County Litter Coordinator Ronnie Durr.

If the first bin placement is any indicator, county crews canlook for a busy four more weeks of cleanup efforts.

Durr said he had to close the first location on MonticelloStreet near County Farm Road early because of the amount of garbagedropped off there during the weekend.

The litter coordinator said each site during the campaign willbe closed at 9 a.m. on Mondays to give crews time to clean up thesite and move the bins to the next collection point. However, thefirst site of the campaign was closed at 8 a.m. Monday because ofthe amount of debris delivered there since Thursday.

“Now we’ve got to get it cleaned up and try to finish before thenext one starts on Brignall (Road),” he said.

Collection bins will be placed at the Brignall Voting Precinctin District Two from Thursday until Monday during the second weekof the Great American Cleanup campaign.

Residents may use the large receptacles to dispose of items theycannot normally put out with the household garbage,. Those includeitems such as furniture, mattresses, televisions, clothes, buildingmaterials or other items not generally accepted with the regularhousehold garbage.

In addition, batteries, tires and white goods may be placed onthe ground near the garbage receptacle for removal.

Program officials are asking, however, that residents not mixhousehold garbage or scavenge among the items left.

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 District Two barn foranyone 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.

During the third week of the campaign, April 19-23, the binswill be located in Bogue Chitto on Highway 51 at Brister Streetbefore being moved to the intersection of Hurricane Lake Drive andSpringview Road in District Four from April 26-30.

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

In past years, the first few weeks have been the busiest with anoticeable drop in use during the last weeks of the campaign, “butthat’s good because it means there’s less out there,” Durrsaid.