In its day, the late-60s model Johnson fishing boats were proudfishing vessels, carrying their masters across the waves in searchof the perfect catch.

But after the worn-down hull of a fallen Johnson craft wasdumped at the feet of Lincoln County Litter Control CoordinatorRonnie Durr, it became junk – he calls it “product.”

It’s the same with the organ. The instrument used to fill theauditorium of its former church with praise and worship. It mighthave even harmonized a few people to Jesus. Now, it’s”product.”

“That thing came off the ark with Noah,” Durr said. “It wassuper heavy.”

The boat and the organ were the strangest two items to appear atthis year’s Great American Cleanup, the annual trash bash thatallows county citizens across all five districts to dispose of allmeasure of junk for free. Other head-turning items included a pairof player pianos, lawnmowers, bicycles, golf clubs and dozens anddozens of old TV sets.

In all, the 2010 GAC collected 306 tons of litter, debris andwaste material, 17 tons more than last year’s then-whopping totalof 289 tons. County citizens – and likely some from neighboringcounties – also turned in a record 4,922 old tires, 27 tons ofwhite goods and metal and 70 batteries.

The event was held over several weekends in April and May.

The District One dumpsite on Monticello Street near County FarmRoad collected the most tonnage by far, with the amount of overflowgarbage covering the ground outweighing the overflow at DistrictsTwo and Four combined. A total of 38.9 tons of garbage was leftoutside the bins during the weekend of April 9, and that was afterall three of the 30-foot bins had been emptied and reset numeroustimes.

District One was the leader in tonnage not necessarily becauseit was the dirtiest district but because enthusiastic cleanerscouldn’t wait for the big bins to come to their districts, Durrsaid. Someone from Bogue Chitto must have driven the extra miles todeposit their trash at the District One site, because thatcommunity’s District Three site had no overflow whatsoever.

“This is the first time that’s ever happened,” Durr said. “I wasabsolutely shocked.”

The almost 5,000 tires collected at this year’s GAC caught theusually unflappable Durr off guard, who counted 3,782 tires lastyear. It was the largest amount of worn-out rubber ever collected,and some of those tires hadn’t seen action in a long, longtime.

“This year there were some tires that looked like they’d comeoff some T-model Fords. One man brought some tires to District Oneand he told me he’d had them for 40 years. He said they belonged tohis daddy and he just hated to get rid of them,” he said.

The 27 tons of white goods – kitchen and other appliances – andmetal turned in was more than double than last year’s 11.2 tons,but Durr said the bigger amount had less to do with scrap metalprices and more to do with vigilance.

“It’s simply because I stayed with it. The scavengers didn’t getto it,” he said.

With tonnage increasing in 2009 and 2010, cleanup organizers’dwindle-down theory of trash levels in Lincoln County decreasing isnow totally out the window – again. Keep Lincoln County Beautifulmember Homer Richardson said the increasing tonnage shows thatLincoln County citizens are going deep into the kudzu and the oldbarn to drag out well-hidden junk.

“I think people are just looking around and really making aneffort to clean up the place,” he said. “People are becoming moresensitive to trash and litter that uglies up their place.”

Richardson said the cleanup would continue next year as long asgrant funding from the Mississippi Department of EnvironmentalQuality is available. He said organizers are still attempting tocreate a hazardous waste day to allow safe disposal of paint, oil,pesticides and other chemicals.

“It’s a continuous fight, an ongoing fight to keep the litterout of the ditches and off the roadways,” he said.