Jim Hite
"IT'S PATHETIC!"

That emotionally charged cry emanated from my beautiful wife as we drove out of our driveway onto Hiltonia Road.

The reason for Joyce's outburst was another stash of junk and trash that had been tossed onto the shoulder of the county road, added to the many stashes that had been tossed there in the previous months.

As I ride my bicycle over roads north of Millen and on GA 21, and as we both run the roads of our county, we are continually amazed at the absolute "trashiness" of so many people who live here. This is not to say such litter is not prevalent elsewhere. We travel thousands of miles every year on the highways of our country from Georgia to the Midwest and along the eastern seaboard. We have driven in the far west, along the Pacific Ocean. We have traveled by car into the Southwest and along the Gulf of Mexico.

I bring this up only to point out that we have seen a lot of shoulders!

Jenkins County is not unique in this litter problem. Anyone who has traveled to and through neighboring counties will notice the same problem. Travel around our state, neighboring states, and you will see trash on the roadside.

But such is not the case everywhere. A few years ago, I wrote on this subject and mentioned how it was impossible to find any litter along highways in Oregon, that there is more trash along our property on the Hiltonia Road than could be found on the entire highway from Eugene to the coast. Why Oregon is so different from Georgia, I do not know. Is there a different upbringing, a different outlook on the environment, a concern for one's surroundings? Any and/or all of these and more could be the reason(s).

Of course, Jenkins County is not alone in Georgia with a litter problem, nor is Georgia the only state. Driving as we do, we know the problem exists elsewhere.

But we live here. Here is where I want to focus.

What makes a person throw junk out of the window or off the back of a vehicle? From beer and soda cans, bottles, fast food wrappers, plastic bags filled with junk, to diapers and feed bags, it's all there. Nails also can be found, whether individual, packed for use in a nail gun, or sticking out of molding. Not too long ago, we found a pointed steak knife beside the road.

Our county has done a lot in recent years to improve the areas around the dumpsters. County employees and others with the responsibility of keeping the area clean are doing a fine job. But I ask, what in the world gets into those who dump trash bags and junk on the ground outside the dumpsters? Also, the dumpster areas are for household garbage only. Yet how many leave items so big there is no way they can be removed by the county crews without bringing in other equipment?

It's the attitude one of Joyce's students had back in her teaching days. Students were expected to pick up around their desks at the end of class. One refused and said that was what the maid was for.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid we have hundreds of people with that attitude: "It's up to someone else to pick up after me."

We have one of the most beautiful parts of Georgia right outside our driveway. But whether in town or through the countryside, trash and junk tossed about is a blight that won't go away. Hundreds seem to think and act as if the roadside is there just for their trash!

I do not know what the answer is to all this. It's an uphill fight, and if everyone is not involved, there is no chance of success. The cleanliness of our roadsides should not be up to prison details or county and state employees. It should be up to us, you and me.

A final note: thank you to those city, county and state workers who do what they can to make our area pleasing to the eye. It's an unsung and overlooked job you do. Know that there are at least some of your fellow-citizens who appreciate what you do.