Fielder's Choice

Please, don’t litter It seems like it’s getting worse.

I drive home, about a mile within the city limits of Holly Springs, and I see fast food sacks and fried chicken boxes in the middle of the street.

There’s a soft drink or beer can or two on the side of the road most days, too, that wasn’t there the day before.

It’s bumfuzzling.

And, of course, it’s not limited to Holly Springs. I see litter when riding across Marshall County. I will even see an old mattress on the side of the road occasionally.

And the litter problem is not limited to just our county either.

Do these people not have trash cans at home?

Apparently not. When they finish eating their fast food, they just throw the wrappers and such out the car window.

Can’t they wait until they get there to throw away their bags and wrappers and cans?

Apparently not. Because the litter on our roadways is accumulating rapidly — making an unsightly mess.

Most likely, people who toss trash out of their vehicle windows just don’t care. They’re litter bugs and that’s OK with them. They just prefer to take the simple and convenient way of getting rid of their garbage — toss it into the street or onto the grass or in the ditch.

Maybe one litter bug creates another. Another driver sees all the garbage on the ground and thinks, “Someone else did it, so it must be fine for me to do it.”

It seems to be a multiplying problem — litter leads to more litter and then more litter. It’s an epidemic. And it’s not getting any better.

I prefer a clean environment. I prefer a beautiful Holly Springs and Marshall County.

Hopes of a litter-free community may be impossible dreams. But I will continue to encourage adults who are littering to please stop. And as adults, let’s teach our children not to litter.

There are better options — garbage cans (with curbside service each week), recycling, and the county solid waste site. Littering is against the law, but litterers typically don’t get caught. There are too many people littering at too many places.

Fortunately, we have volunteers in the county who adopt certain roads and routinely pick up garbage. For these, we are thankful. But they will be the first to tell you that their job never ends. They can pick up one week, and the cycle of litter resumes the next.

But it’s just not litter contributing to the ugliness of our county. There are abandoned cars with weeds growing up all around them.

There are posters and signs illegally attached to utility poles and road signs. Plus, people are sticking small signs (with wooden stakes) up all over the place, too.

As Marshall Countians, we need to take pride in our county.

We want new businesses and new industries, but when those looking to relocate come to town for a visit, what do they see?

Our law enforcement personnel, zoning employees, elected officials — they can work on this problem but they can’t solve it.

Perhaps no one can.

But if you read this and you’re littering, please stop.

Editor’s Note: This was written 10 years ago — not much has changed.