Highway litter has been an unwinnable war, but Pike County officials came together Tuesday in an all-out blitz, filling up trash bags by the hundreds along Interstate 55 from the state line to Summit.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation and various local agencies worked throughout the day to remove the blight.
The Pike County Sheriff’s Office, McComb Public Works Department, Magnolia police, Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Osyka police and Summit police also participated.
MDOT Public Information Officer Katy Hornsby said everyone picking up litter wore a safety vest, and the sheriff’s office was on hand to make sure everyone stayed safe along the busy interstate.
Sheriff James Brumfield noted that the county recently raised the fine for littering to $750, but said it has not solved the problem.
“The hard thing about this is you have to catch them in the act unless they are dumping somewhere and we find their names and we contact them,” he said.
Brumfield said the possibility of installing cameras to catch people littering has been considered.
“That is a possibility if we can find the funds to do it,” he said.
In the meantime, Brumfield is focused on picking up litter already on the interstate.
“Several weeks ago, there were a lot of complaints about litter in the county, a lot of it being on the interstate,” he said. “Several weeks ago, MDOT was gracious enough to host this. We had a meeting with the different municipalities here in the county and decided on a litter pickup, starting with the interstate to get it cleaned up.”
Brumfield said litter on the interstate includes cups, beer bottles, drink cans and fast food containers.
“They’re throwing it out their window,” he said. “It’s because they don’t care. There’s no pride in the community.”
Before picking up trash, Brumfield encouraged everyone helping with the pickup who found a gun or drugs to turn it in to law enforcement.
“There’s a lot of high-speed chases on the interstate and they do have a habit of throwing weapons out,” he said.
A worker reportedly found a bag of drugs, either meth or crack cocaine, while picking up near the Fernwood exit on Tuesday afternoon.
Matt Dugas, MDOT maintenance engineer for District 7, said littering on the highway was not limited to Pike County.
“It’s a problem everywhere,” he said. “We all knew it was a problem. We’re all getting complaints, so we came together to try to put a dent in this situation.
“Part of what we’re doing today is awareness. We’ve got to change the culture. That’s the problem.”
Hornsby agreed.
“It’s a constant ongoing campaign we try to do, but this is something that came together as a county,” she said.
“I’m sure other counties are doing it, but we’re really excited to have this many agencies throughout the county working together.”
