Trash on the Streets Will Be Addressed at the Next Regular BCC Meeting (or Sooner!)

I remember this commercial (above) as a young child in the early 1970's.  "Iron Eyes Cody" was the Native American in the commercial (also an actor), crying a single tear over the way Americans litter our environment.  This commercial is more relevant now than ever before, especially now as I am very recently inundated with complaints about trash being all over the roads of District 1 and the west side of Escambia county.  I will be bringing an agenda item for the next regular BCC meeting to discuss this problem and to offer potential ideas/solutions to address this situation.  Litterbugs will always (unfortunately) do what they do--but the variable that determines the level of litter all over our roadway is the removal (or lack thereof) of the relatively constant flow of garbage being thrown on the roads. I know that county staff is very responsive to these acute incidents when citizen reports are made.  But we need to try to be more pro-active rather than reactive.   Have regularly scheduled removal efforts declined (or have they been reduced)?  I will be bringing an agenda item to the next BCC meeting in two weeks to discuss strategies to address this growing problem.

Read some of the constituent complaints below:

"Let me start by thanking you for all you have done for the Avondale neighborhood, and the relationship we have established since your election. My friends and neighbors have a growing concern about the trash on the roadways. I personally go out with my yard tractor and cart to pick up around my area. However, I too am concerned about the trash collecting along the roads. My friends and neighbors have individually launched complaints, and say they have had no luck with their complaints. That is why I am appealing to you on a personal basis to see what can be done to alleviate this situation. As you will see, if you take the time to read just a few of the complaints our folks have raised, your constituents are more than a little upset, and these are also the folks that vote in the county elections. They feel their votes are just as important as those who benefit from the improvements along 9 Mile road or use the bridge on Fairfield and Patricia. Just as on suggestion, why can't the county use county jail folks to clean up the roads? I know they have been used in the past to trim trees and clean up the parks. Being familiar with the law enforcement community, and knowing a few

 custodians, I am told the inmates would love to get out and do something. I think you will get the general displeasure of your constituents in District 1. I don't think you need to see all I have, but if you are interested, I will send you many more."  ---District 1 Resident

"Again today I was out there picking up a lot of trash. I went to Corry Station and on the way there was trash everywhere! It's like a conditioning, first a little trash, then a little more, and now it's everywhere. It's like people don't even notice it anymore. I have never heard it mention anywhere and I keep messaging WEAR about it, no one cares. This is a tourist area and we should care. It's disgusting, but more voices are needed to make WEAR aware of it that we do care and have not conditioned to accept this area turning into a garbage can. Right now that is what we are. Do parents still teach there children there is a special place for garbage and it's not the streets! My children are disgusted with it and I will continue to tell them the danger of trash in the streets, a wind comes and blows it right in front of your windshield, among other dangers, needles could be in the bags and children could get curious, yes that possibility exists also. When will our area leaders take this problem seriously? If we all write to WEAR or some other bigwigs, maybe we can get their attention. We pick up trash and the next day it's there again. Parents need to teach their children young and old to put trash where it belongs. And no, it's not the garbage trucks that are at fault if stuff falls out of the cans, and if stuff does fall out, it's in front of your house, your trash, pick it up. Yes, this is a beef with me, because this area needs to be attractive to the visitors for them to return, but not only that, pride in a clean area should still be something of importance. Thanks for listening. I'll be writing more message to the bigwigs today."---District 1 Resident

" I just moved back to Pcola. I was So disappointed at how disgusting that side of town had become. But go to the east side beautiful and booming. I supposed the front entrance of NAS and surrounding areas are no longer considered “tourist attractions” anymore.
My opinion only, but we are all citizens of Pcola and Escambia County and deserve the same care of our areas as do the citizens on any other side of town.
For Gods sake, we have enough inmates in the system here to at lease clean up the trash."--Concerned Resident

"I live next to a park and I get trash in my yard ALL the time. I go out periodically and pick it all up, and I go to the park and pick up all the cigarette butts, etc. that are left. I don't want people NOT coming to the park because it has trash. That being said, I noticed the trash can in the park was broken, which may have been why people were just throwing trash wherever." --Concerned Resident

"While I don’t get “out and about” too often due to my husband’s illness, I had to go across town today and was absolutely shocked at the condition of the roadsides littered with trash.  I recently noticed our own major hwy (98)close to our house between Blue Angel and Bauer Rd...the littering is horrible.  May I ask who is responsible for this?  Today, Fairfield Dr from hwy 98 to Mobile Hwy looks like the landfill.  The area particularly between Canturberry Woods and Lillian looks like a third world country.  These are not the only areas.....it is all over the county!  If we want to attract new taxpayers, we have to do better than this!  I would be embarrassed to bring visitors from out of town without avoiding some of these major thoroughfares. 
On Sunday, I decided I was not going to accept the trashiness any longer outside of my subdivision, Peppermill.  I spent two hours picking up trash from The Peppertree entrance up to Heritage Lakes Rd.  I filled two contractor bags.  The empty alcohol bottles was really scary as it is obvious there are lots of drinking and driving going on in our county!"--concerned District 1 residents