Committee works on cleanup

Litter reduction and locations for future beautification sites were the two items that Columbia County Clean and Beautiful chairman Jim Truitt challenged his committee to work on in the coming months.

At the monthly meeting last Thursday, committee member Ron Brown gave an update on public response to the committee's booth at the Memorial Day celebration in Columbia County.

"We had a really good response," Brown said. "Eighty percent of the people wanted to know more about recycling, 15 percent wanted to learn about cleaning up trash along roadways (and) another five percent wanted to know about (how students) are educated about local creeks.

"I thought it was a great success, but we really need to let people know who we are."

The committee approved forest green golf-shirts with the group's name and a tree emblem on them, as well as a large green and white plastic banner. The group discussed several businesses and groups to distribute trash bags for cars. The group is currently working on updating their Web site and creating a video about conservation in the community.

"We are in the process of looking for new recycling site," Truitt said. "And we have several sites in mind."

Different methods of litter collection were discussed.

"(A friend and I) spent part of our weekend picking up 12 bags of litter along a road. That's why it's so important to have groups like Adopt-a-Highway," Truitt said.

A motion to look for new groups to pick up litter passed unanimously. The date for the 2003 Great American Clean-up week was scheduled by the committee for Monday, March 26 through Saturday, March 31.

Before adjourning the meeting, Truitt thanked the entire committee for their hard work during the first half of 2002. The next Clean and Beautiful committee meeting will be Thursday, July 18 at 6 p.m. in the Cherry Room at Savannah Rapids Pavilions.