The Pike County area is among the trashiest in the country, according to a Washington, D.C., consultant who travels extensively and rates each state by the volume of litter he observes along the highways and biways.
Steve Spacek is author of the “American State Litter Scorecard,” which is published every three years.
According to the 2011 scorecard, Mississippi tied for third place with the state of Nevada.
Kentucky and Louisiana were the top two trashiest states.
The Magnolia State finished on top of the scorecard for litter in 2008.
Spacek rated the Deep South states from Texas to Georgia as the worst offenders when it comes to litter.
Spacek traveled through Pike County during the holidays on the way to visit his mother, who lives in southeast Texas.
He began the Mississippi leg in Tupelo and drove down through Jackson and McComb.
In a letter to the Enterprise-Journal, Spacek wrote that he “was appalled by (the) heavy volumes of ugly, unpicked-up trash and litter” on Interstate 55 and along highways 24 and 48 toward Liberty. He said county and side roads were trashed, along with private lots.
“This trip was pretty bad,” Spacek said Wednesday. “The problem is not just in Mississippi, but it’s a national problem. It’s not just (Pike) County. When I wrote the letter, I wanted not only to get the attention of the people, but also the Mississippi Department of Transportation. Some governors have a mandate to have their people pick up trash. Others do not.”
corecard, Mississippi is tied for No. 1 with Colorado when it comes to vehicle collisions with fatalities where debris or litter is involved.
MDOT District 7 anti-litter coordinator Barbara Mercier said she hoped Spacek’s scorecard will wake up the worst offenders.
“Maybe the survey will bring attention to the problem,” Mercier said. “Educational programs where people realize it is their personal responsibility is the only way to solve this problem.”
Mercier said the period around Christmas is always particularly bad for trash and debris along highways.
“This is always a bad time of year because of holiday travel. But that’s no excuse,” Mercier said. “Higher travel should not be an excuse. It is an example of how much of a trash problem we have, not only in Mississippi, but the nation.”
Mercier said programs such as inmate litter pickup through MDOT and the Pike County Sheriff’s Department and “Adopt-A-Highway” volunteer programs help some of the problem but can’t totally solve the issue.
“Unfortunately, Mississippi does have a (bigger) litter problem. Until people take personal responsibility, we’ll continue to have this problem,” Mercier said.
Pike County Emergency Management Director and Solid Waste Director Richard Coghlan said the litter problem is overwhelming.
“The county has litter crews picking up trash every day to keep the county roads clear,” Coghlan said. “We’re just unable to keep up with the amount of trash out there.”
Keep Pike County Beautiful Director Shonda Milton said public education is essential to the litter problem.
“We have to let people know litter makes a lasting impression on people who drive through here,” Milton said. “It’s important for economic development for the area when employers drive through the area and see all the trash. We have to take responsibility for our own actions.
“We’ve found the number-one reason why people litter is they think it is not their responsibility,” Milton added. “MDOT works diligently cleaning up the roads. Grown-ups know better. (Trashy roads) make it look like our county doesn’t care.”
