by Spier Edwards

BOYKINS—The Virginia Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining our roads and right of ways in Southampton County.

I spoke with VDOT about the litter on the roadways and they will be working on cleaning it up.

I also spoke with Sheriff [Jack] Stutts about receiving some help from his department in helping VDOT with the cleanup.

What will happen after the clean up?

More trash will be thrown out of car and truck windows and more will fly out of the back of pickups going to the dump.

What is the answer to the problem of trash, littering our roads? It is a never-ending cycle.

We need your input and ideas

The April 2, Litter Control Council meeting, at 5 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors Room in Courtland, will be open to anyone that is interested in litter control, recycling and in making our county a more attractive place to live and work. It will be open to your suggestions and ideas on how to improve our efforts. Please attend.

Allen Applewhite has served as representative of Department of Corrections on the Southampton County Litter Control Council from 2007 until his retirement in August 2013. His initiative and support for the efforts of the Litter Control Council has served, and continues to serve the interest of Southampton County.

In January, Wes Blythe, of Courtland was selected to serve as the Agribusiness director at Deerfield Correction Center. He will also serve as representative of the Department of Corrections on the Litter Control Council. His leadership and value as an employee will be a great asset to our operations at the Dept. of Corrections and will continue to support the County’s initiative on the Litter Control Council.

The Deerfield work center has set up a crew to be available for targeted litter control to assist the Litter Control Council. This crew will operate primarily during our non-peak farming season.

We thank Warden James V. Beale of Deerfield Corrections Center for his support in the past and his continued support in the future.

The county has received 75 more blue recycling bins and the Board of Supervisors is looking to add on the Bethel Farms area into the recycling program in Southampton County.

Stop sorting your recyclables!

Did you know you no longer have to sort your recyclables in Southampton County? The Southampton Litter Control Council wants to remind you that if you live in a town that has curbside recycling, you do not have to sort your recyclables anymore! Just place them all together in the blue bin and roll them to the curb on recycling day.

If you live in an area where you take your trash to a dumpsite, it is just as easy to recycle. Place all your recyclable items together in one bag or can and place them in the white bin at the dumpsite.

Looking for a speaker?

Are you looking for a speaker for your next meeting? The Southampton Litter Control Council has speakers available to talk to your club or business about the importance of recycling. We can explain what can and cannot be recycled currently in the county to reduce the items going to the landfill. We can also offer suggestions for ways your club can earn money by recycling items or holding swaps and collection days.

For more information on a speaker for your event, recycling schedules, dumpsite locations and times and items that can be recycled, please contact the Southampton Litter Control Council at 653-3015 or click “contact us” on the Southampton County Website at www.southamptoncounty.org.

We have had feedback from citizens about trash flying out of recycle trucks and Southampton County trash trucks. Yes, this has happened. We have addressed this issue with the proper authorities and action has been taken to minimize this issue. If you see this happening, please call 653-3015.

In the past months we have concentrated more on educating our young children on how to control litter and recycle. We see this as our first priority.

The recycling program that has been put in place will reduce the tremendous amount of money spent to dispose of our litter. This council needs citizen involvement and cannot function without it. We need civic clubs, hunt clubs, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, churches, fire departments and all that are interested to help us make Southampton County a more attractive place. To control littering will be difficult, but it can be done with your help. Everyone needs to become involved and make a difference. We need you!

Don’t forget “Clean River Day” on Saturday, April 12. We need to support Blackwater/Nottoway Riverkeeper Jeff Turner in his effort to keep our rivers clean. For further information, call Jeff at 562-5173.

If you would like to know more about the Litter Control Council and who your representative is in your area, please contact Spier Edwards at 650-8134.

SPIER EDWARDS is the chairman of Litter Control Council in Southampton County. He can be reached at 650-8134.