By HEATHER RUPPE
Volunteers combed the side of Green Pond Highway on Saturday morning and collected more than 1,000 pounds of trash from along the busy road.
In total, crews collected 41 bags of litter from along the highway, equaling 1,025 pounds of trash that was removed from one of Colleton County’s busiest – and trashiest - roads.
The litter pickup is part of an ongoing “Love Where You Live” anti-litter effort that has been organized by large leadership groups in Colleton County – the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office, the Keep Walterboro Beautiful and the Keeping Colleton Beautiful, both of which are local non-profit organizations that focus on litter removal and litter prevention.
Already this summer, volunteers with this group have collected more than 1,500 pounds of litter from along other roadways in and around Walterboro, including Colleton Loop, Keegan Road and Sidneys Road. The volunteers helping to collect the debris and trash include Colleton residents; leaders with the three entities, including Dana Cheney, leader of the Keep Walterboro Beautiful non-profit; students from the Colleton County High School Honor Society; reserve deputies and employees of the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office.
“Littering isn’t just illegal. It negatively affects our environment and potential to attract future business, industries, and tourism,” said Colleton County Sheriff Buddy Hill, in a previous interview about this combined anti-litter effort.
Hill is also asking the entire Colleton community to get involved in the anti-litter efforts in Colleton County.
“Although most residents love the thought of a litter-free Colleton, some make the job of keeping Colleton clean and green even more difficult,” he said. “It’s the obligation of all people to protect and maintain public spaces and roadsides by disposing of trash in the appropriate area.
There is one more scheduled litter cleanup date this summer, as part of the “Love Where You Live” litter cleanup project.
This is planned from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. on August 7th. Anyone can choose to participate.
How to get involved
Show Up on August 7, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at either of these locations:
Targeted Area in the City: North Lemacks Street in Walterboro.
Targeted Area in the County: Cypress Pond Rd.
If you or your organization would like to participate in cleaning up the city, contact Dana Cheney at cleancitywalterboro@gmail.com. For the county, contact Public Information Officer Shalane Lowes at slowes@colletoncounty.org.
