What a mess

January 31, 2009 10:58 pm

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My son was traveling through the Collinsville area and stopped at the dumpsters to throw out a Walmart bag containing trash. He was approached by two sheriff deputies who were monitoring the dumpster site for illegal dumping. The deputies did nothing to the man who was “dumpster-living” at the same time my son was throwing out his car trash.
I have taught my kids not to throw trash on the road. They understand the importance of collecting their trash and disposing of it correctly. He saw the dumpsters and stopped to dispose of the trash properly-just as I have taught him.
I am so disappointed that the sheriff’s office felt that this Walmart bag of trash was worthy of a ticket. I cannot tell you how awful it is to see the sides of the roads littered with trash and debris and yet, when someone is trying to be conscientious, they are rewarded with a ticket. This was not an act of dumpster abuse. He was disposing of a Walmart bag of trash from his vehicle. This was not trash hauled to Lauderdale County from another county in an attempt to take advantage of the dumpsters. This was a person who was trying to do the right thing by disposing of the trash in a designated trash site.
My job takes me throughout the state and I cannot tell you how appalling our roadsides look. As one drives through our communities there is trash alongside every road. After a recent trip to Germany (to send my youngest son off to Iraq for a third tour of duty) I was shocked at how clean the country was. It amazed me that people pick up trash if they see it laying around – they don’t throw it down for someone else to pick it up. I can’t imagine what these people think when they come here to our country? We are a lazy society and now we punish someone for doing the right thing. If Lauderdale County feels that this is the kind of reward we give someone for trying to do the right thing – versus throwing the trash on the side of the road, then continue on.
May I suggest that if the County wants to be fair, with their new policy, perhaps they should provide roadside cans designated for car-trash. This allows individuals to dispose of their trash properly, keeps folks like my son from being punished for trying to do the right thing, and also will help with the condition of our roadsides.

Janine Learmonth
Collinsville