Dirty work pays off in clean-up
John Graham demonstrated litter pick-up techniques and equipment to a group of volunteers before sending them on Columbia County roads to pick up litter as part of the county's first Clean-Up Day.
Robert Lyons (from left), his son Philip and fellow Boy Scout Troop 615 member Marcus Ellis work to clean up along Furys Ferry Road on Saturday during Columbia County Clean and Beautiful's Clean-Up Day.
Photo by Jim Blaylock
"I hate trash. I do not like it when people litter. It drives me crazy," said Ann Nordin, Evans.
Nordin arrived at the county government complex early Saturday morning to do her part to rid the county of litter as part of the day organized by the Clean and Beautiful Committee.
The committee plans to hold a clean-up day twice a year - spring and fall, said Graham, committee member and drive coordinator. Some of the group met in the morning to receive orange vests, gloves and trash bags.
Many teams of volunteers went out to pick up litter on their own and did not meet with Graham on Saturday morning, so a final number of volunteers and bags of litter picked up is unclear.
But the effort was considered a success.
"I am fairly satisfied," Graham said at the barbecue lunch the county supplied after the pick-up. "We are working the bugs out and getting the public aware of the fact we are out here doing things."
Many of the committee's 26 Adopt-A-Highways teams participated. Some, who had other engagements, picked up littler earlier in the week. But the event was on the schedule for Boy Scout Troop 615, who adopted the 2.4 miles of Furys Ferry Road from the South Carolina state line to Riverside Middle School.
"As Boy Scouts, we are commonly known for camping and things like that. Part of or creed is to do our duty to the community," said scoutmaster Dee Castillo.
The troop monitors their stretch of road as a community service project at least four times a year and has found some strange items in their efforts including money, lottery tickets, CDs, paper - even full beverages.
The troop has been clearing roads since before Metro Augusta Clean and Beautiful was formed and now is working with the Columbia County Clean and Beautiful Committee.
Nordin said her group, cleaning Blue Ridge Drive near the Lakeside schools, picked up mostly beverage containers, cigarette butts and wrappers, which are the most common type of litter, especially fast-food containers.
Allison and Robert Hume took on Martinez Boulevard, picking up 14 bags of litter.
To adopt a highway, a group needs to organize six clean-ups a year for the 1- mile adopted stretch of road.
For more information on the clean-up days or the committee's efforts, call Graham at (706) 868-0296 or Lillian-Katharine Blanos, Metro Augusta's executive director at (706) 210 4390 or visit www.co.columbia.ga.us.