Lamar Co. officials address litter problems

LAMAR COUNTY, MS (WDAM) - Roadside litter is a major problem for Lamar County.

"It just seems like it’s a never-ending task. We pick it up one day and the next it’s back on the side of the road,” said Lamar County Administrator Jody Waits.

“It’s a constant battle to keep our roads picked up,” District 4 supervisor Phillip Carlisle said.

County officials said they are doing what they can to keep the roads clean. There are currently two crews of Lamar County inmates who clean over 500 square miles of roads daily.

“You’ll see them in their orange and white van with their county uniform on from the jail, so you know that’s who they are,” Waits said. “But, that’s just two groups of people and we’re a county of over 500 square miles, so we just can’t cover all the areas. We can do the best we can with those groups.”

The county also has a full-time code enforcement officer who gives citations to those caught littering.

“If you’re caught throwing litter, there is an escalation of fines,” Waits said. “So, if you continue to do it and continue to get caught, those fines could get up to $1,000 for littering.”

Carlisle said the county will soon be getting fully automated sanitation vehicles.

"It’s a contained body were once that can dumps into it, it can’t fly out. The fully automated system is going to help,” Carlisle said.

"We want to have a nice place to live. People want to have a nice place to live because it looks nice. Litter all over the roads is just not pleasant,” said Waits.

Every year the county puts on a “Day Out Against Litter” for communities to help clean up roads.

The county also hosts a “Saturday Drop-off” every weekend for people needing to dispose of trash.

You can find the drop-off locations below:

Copyright 2019 WDAM. All rights reserved.