By Pattie Cox
Those interested in taking advantage of Free Dump Days in Garrard County be wary for you may not realize someone is watching.
During a meeting last Friday morning, among those most responsible for enforcing litter laws and keeping the county clean, a decision was made to put law enforcement and offenders on alert that if they break the law, especially during that three-day window from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m., May 14-16, they will be cited.
Kentucky statutes are clear in regard to (189.150) the prevention of escaping contents and the covering of shifting loads hauled for more than one mile and (512.070) which defines criminal littering as a Class A misdemeanor for those who knowingly litter.
With knowledge of the law and a warning about the upcoming focus, maybe the county’s roads, especially along Kentucky 52 where the Convenience Center is located, can be spared to some degree this year.
In the past, Judge Executive John Wilson has had to send a crew of county employees to clean up the trash strewn along the state highway following the event.
Karla Sefcak, a lay person who serves on the solid-waste committee and the founder of Garrard’s Anti-Litter and Beautification program held each spring, is the instigator behind the push to clean up the county’s roads.
She believes that with knowledge, enforcement and better punishment, litter can be at least abated if not eradicated. But she is fully aware of the fact that it will take a
commitment by those involved in law enforcement, from the officers to the judges, and the community as a whole to make it work.
Judge Bill Oliver told her he is 100 percent supportive of the effort and Garrard County can become a county that is known to be tough on litterers, she said. The next step is bringing him the citations.
She also recommends that fines be traded for community service, a decision the judge can make in each case. The punishment should be “embarrassing,” she said.
She also feels like a caring community can get involved by calling officials with tag numbers and a vehicle description from offenders. The only problem is that the offender can only be warned in a letter that they were seen littering. It takes a signed complaint by the person who witnessed the person throwing trash or garbage from their vehicle to actually be cited and that’s only if the judge rules against them. But receiving a court summons with possible fines attached would help to get people’s attention.
With the economy causing people to tighten their belts, the $10 million price tag attached to last year’s state spending of taxpayer dollars for litter abatement programs, the statistic should be a wake-up that gets their attention.
“I can think of a lot better things to spend taxpayer money on rather that picking up trash,” Wilson said.
Extra patrols will be out during Free Dump Days. They will be looking for loads not properly secured on all major roads and if caught the offender will be cited on the spot.
“People can learn that you don’t litter in Garrard County . . . when we all work together.,” Sefcak said.
Sefcak encourages everyone to get involved everyday, not just this weekend, by calling the Garrard County Sheriff’s Department at 792-3591, Bluegrass PRIDE, 866-222-1648, ext 29 or visit kentuckypride.com to report the license number, state, description, county in which litter violation occurred, specific location, date, time and your name (optional).