By VICKI BROWN
Most people who are not vendors, promoters, or organizers of the Rice Festival don’t realize that they can help with the festivities by cleaning up the roadways.
Hundreds of people from outside of the county will be attending the weekend event, and community leaders are hoping to show off a pristine county to visitors and make a good impression. But that means picking up litter.
Colleton County has been working with a local contractor to pick up litter from the roadsides on the major highways, and SC DOT has been working with a contractor to pick up debris and trash along I 95. But they are asking for help from our local civic groups to help with the residential areas and less traveled roads. “We are working to have a nice clean look for visitors coming for the Rice Festival and for our citizens. We hope the community will help us to keep it that way by covering their loads in vehicles, throwing trash away in appropriate receptacles and picking up litter when they see it and it is safe to do so,” said Colleton County Animal Services Director Laura Clark.
For several years, Animal Services has been tasked with the problem of tackling litter on the roadways. But their hands have been full with the vast number of animals that have found their way into the shelter.
Colleton County Animal Services has been given two additional Animal/Litter Control positions to step up litter enforcement. “We are still in the process of filling these two positions and will need a couple of months to onboard the officers, get them certified with the SC Criminal Justice Academy before we start addressing complaints,” said Clark. “Fun fact, our officers are Class 3 Law Enforcement Officers due to litter control not animal control.”
After a hiatus during Covid, Keep Colleton Beautiful, a Colleton County Commission, is back in action. They need volunteers to fill a few vacancies on the board. According to Clark, KCB and Keep Walterboro Beautiful will be sharing a booth at the Rice Festival and accepting applications to volunteer and to serve on the board. Questions can be directed to Kaela Brinson, Clerk to Court at kbrinson@colletoncounty.org. There is also a Facebook page and website is being updates.
To report litter concerns, the county has a phone number to call 843-898-8300 and an online form for residents. Multiple agencies are trying to deal with litter complaints until more officers are hired. Phone calls and forms will be monitored and forwarded to the appropriate agency.
“The city has increased its efforts in combating litter, and cigarette butt receptacles have been installed on Washington Street,” said city Manager Jeff Molinari. “Officers have been assigned to concentrate on places where litter violations are common like Robertson Blvd., and take appropriate enforcement action before, during, and after the Rice Festival. With the concentration in problem areas, the police department has significantly increased the number of tickets written for littering.”
