Tag Archive for: #littercleanupprogram

Granville County Litter Prevention Program Kickoff Set For Oct. 4 At Butner Gazebo Park

— Courtesy of Granville County Public Information Officer Terry Hobgood

Granville County is proud to announce the Granville County Litter Program Kickoff hosted by the Town of Butner on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 10 a.m. at Gazebo Park, 416 Central Ave., Butner.

Litter has plagued our state, county, and municipalities for too long. Addressing litter in our community  improves far more than our roadways – it strengthens education, community safety, pride, and a host of social  and behavioral outcomes. Growing partnerships with county government, our municipal governments, schools,  churches, civic organizations, and citizens are advancing that vision through a coordinated countywide effort.

What sets this program apart is true coordination:

  • Granville County Government will align resources
  • Granville County Public Schools will help educate and engage students and families
  • Our municipalities will synchronize local cleanups and enforcement
  • Private citizens, faith communities, civic groups, and the business community will power the on-the ground action

At the kickoff, we’ll share how these partners are working together – not in silos – to prevent litter, expand  cleanups, improve reporting and enforcement, and build a culture of stewardship. You’ll hear from our partners  and learn practical ways to get involved with your family immediately.

This is our chance to show – with our presence – that all of Granville County means business. Bring your family,  invite your neighbors, and join us at Gazebo Park in Butner on Oct. 4 at 10 a.m. Together, we’ll launch a  sustained, countywide partnership for a litter-free Granville County.

TownTalk: Frank Sossamon – Litter Clean Up Program

In speaking with constituents across Vance County, State Rep. Frank Sossamon said he picked up on a familiar theme: litter.

“Litter kept coming up as our Number 1 problem,” Sossamon said. “It’s a plague on our county.”

And he’s making a connection with the trash that fouls the roadsides and public safety. A public safety task force is being assembled to strengthen a community-wide partnership of agencies and organizations to help improve the situation.

Overgrown trees or debris that obscures road signs, public safety issue. Trash blowing across the highways and interstates, public safety hazard.

“If we’re going to tackle it, we’re going to tackle all of it,” Sossamon said on Wednesday’s TownTalk.

A good first step is the kickoff of a litter campaign that will take place on Friday, Sept. 13 at 9 a.m. at the city’s Operations Center on Beckford Drive. Sossamon said there have been litter pickups before, but this is the first full-on campaign in the area.

“We’ve got to change the mentality of our citizens,” he said. Illegal dumping along roadsides, throwing fast-food containers from vehicles, junk cars cluttering yards – are just a few examples of what needs to be addressed through education and through awareness.

Groups ranging from civic organizations and churches to the local Chamber of Commerce and the local school district are all part of the community-wide partnership.

And the city is going to implement an “adopt-a-block” program to encourage residents to tidy up even a small section of the city. “Hopefully we can get every block adopted,” Sossamon said. A couple of fringe benefits of getting outside to pick up trash include extra physical activity and getting to know our neighbors, he said.

“The potential is to make the community even healthier,” he said.

Sossamon is putting stock in the younger generation for everything from reminding their elders not to litter to sending letters to the editor about cleaning up streets, sidewalks and roadways.

A letter-writing campaign provides extra benefits as well, he said. “It helps them academically, improves their critical thinking,” but youngsters also can take pride when they see their name in print.

“The schools have already opened the doors for us to come in,” Sossamon said, adding that trash containers painted with children’s handprints are in place as a way to build capacity.

“Education is what we’re after,” Sossamon said, and the public safety task force will be driving that home in as many places as possible.

The goal is to not to have more and more groups who fan out into the county to pick up trash. The goal is to have fewer and fewer litter sweeps because there is less trash to pick up.

We’ve all probably witnessed a driver or passenger in the vehicle in front of us throw something out the window, and Sossamon said NCDOT’s “Swat a Litterbug” campaign is one way to discourage littering.

If you see someone throw out trash and can get the vehicle’s license plate number, you can submit it to the NCDOT and the car owner will get a letter to report the offense. The letter is just a warning for the first offense

“The second time, you won’t get a letter, you’ll get a citation,” Sossamon said. The link to report a litterbug is https://www.ncdot.gov/litter/default.aspx

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