Richard Coghlan, a man who wears many hats, addressed the McComb Lions Club Tuesday in his role as Pike County Solid Waste Enforcement Officer.
Coghlan also is the county’s civil defense director, which puts him in charge of the 911 board, local Homeland Security operations and county fire departments.
On Tuesday he discussed the problem of litter.
“Keep Pike County Beautiful (executive director) Jenny Edwards spoke to you a few weeks ago. Litter is one of the things Keep Pike County Beautiful deals with. I strictly deal with garbage and litter in the county,” Coghlan said. “You’d be surprised at the number of people who say they don’t know you can’t burn stuff anymore. You can’t legally burn anything except brush and unfinished wood.”
Coghlan said permits are needed from the fire department to burn leaves in the city.
He said permits are necessary from the Mississippi Forestry Commission to burn anything in the county.
“Most of the time I become involved is when there are illegal dumps in the county,” Coghlan said. “I’d say nine out of 10 times, when you contact the property owner, they’ll clean it up. We give them three weeks to clean up the dumps. The county can spend up to $10,000 per year per property owner and charge it back to the owner on taxes.”
Coghlan said illegal dump sites are a big nuisance.
“Most locations we have are reoccurring,” Coghlan said. “We can put up a ‘no dumping’ sign and they’ll go probably a half-mile down the road to dump their garbage.”
Coghlan said there is a difference between litter and illegal dumpsites.
“I don’t do litter, but illegal dumpsites,” he said. “If a site has 15 pounds of trash, it’s litter. If it’s over 15 pounds, it’s an illegal dump.”
Coghlan said if county constables investigate illegal dumpsites, part of the $50 fine goes back to the constable as part of his pay.
He polled the audience to see if they knew about the top litter sources.
“Fast food wrappers are the number-one sources of trash on the sides of the road,” Coghlan said. “It takes 6.3 miles for someone to eat a box of chicken. I suggested to a friend in the restaurant business that they should put a dime or a nickel on a fast food wrapper and let them bring it back (for a deposit).”
Coghlan said Styrofoam and plastic bottles seem to have the ability to last forever.
“A piece of Styrofoam could last up to 1 million years. A plastic bottle could also last up to 1 million years, too. Tin cans can last for 80 to 90 years, and a cigarette butt can last for up to five years. Litter costs money to pick up. It costs $5 billion a year to pick up,” Coghlan said.
Coghlan said his powers as county enforcement officer are somewhat limited.
“I can’t put anybody in jail for littering, but I can put somebody in jail for contempt of court. And I’ve done that,” Coghlan said.
As for his 911 duties, Coghlan said modern equipment helps keep everyone safe.
“All of the 911 calls are recorded,” Coghlan said. “The opportunity for a dropped call is pretty much non-existent. We’re a centralized dispatch.When you call 911 from a cell phone, it will show the tower you hit and the direction from the tower you are. The tracking devices are so accurate I can tell what part of the building you’re in.”
