Georgia County Government - February 2008 - (Page 32)

WASTE MANAGEMENT continued from page 31 incinerators were shut down, and one new municipal solid waste incinerator was constructed in Savannah. The changes were significant, given the population increase and the fact that each person was generating more waste, up from an estimated 2.81 pounds per person per day in 1970 to 4.5 pounds in 1990. Per-capita waste increased, as did the waste itself, with the widespread use of new packaging and products. Litter and Illegal Dumping Efforts to close open dumps and replace them with sanitary landfills generally succeeded, but litter and illegal dumping still emerged as solid wasterelated issues. The national highway system of the 1950s, combined with rising affluence, resulted in Americans being more mobile. Alongside very limited environmental laws and the absence of national or state anti-litter efforts, this resulted in trash thrown along roads and in public places. A national anti-litter campaign begun April 22, 1970, with the release of the “Crying Indian” public service message, featured Chief Iron Sides Cody gazing out over a littered landscape with a tear in his eye. The compelling message captured the public. A 1979 report stated, “Litter receives its notoriety as a result of its visibility. We see litter along our streets and highways, in our parks and waterways, and in almost every public place, usually associated with areas of public ownership rather than with private property.” Litter conflicts with the unwritten “out of sight, out of mind” philosophy of waste disposal; it is hard to ignore, being scattered in plain sight. Illegal dumping, conversely, occurs in less-conspicuous places. The term “illegal dumping,” moreover, usually refers to discarding quantities of material that is more troublesome than litter, and even toxic. Concerns over the illegal dumping of scrap tires, biomedical waste, roofing materials, septage and hazardous waste have been expressed. States’ attempts to solve the litter problem included making it unlawful to litter and imposing penalties for people caught. Enforcement of such laws was sporadic, and their impact minimal. Other methods of dealing with litter have included anti-litter campaigns with catchy slogans such as “Let’s keep Georgia peachy clean.” Major approaches used by states to reduce litter are: 1) to levy a tax on materials that make up litter and to use the funds for anti-litter programs; and 2) to require a refundable deposit on beverage containers (bottle bills), a component of litter. Litter tax and container deposit bills were introduced in the General Assembly in the 1970s, neither of which generated widespread support. A third alternative to controlling litter was identified as the Georgia version of the Keep America Beautiful program. Although the national program was in operation in cities and counties across the country, Georgia became the first state to initiate implementation of it on a statewide basis, as the Georgia Clean and Beautiful Program. In the late 1980s, the Georgia AdoptA-Highway program was initiated. Individuals and organizations could adopt a section of highway and periodically clean up litter in that section. For doing so, their contributions are recognized on a road sign. These programs have helped to reduce litter, but it is still a major problem in the state. In 2004, the Georgia Department of Transportation spent more than $14 million to remove roadside litter. In addition, a wide variety of litter-control efforts are undertaken by other state and federal agencies, local governments and private institutions and individuals. Realizing the impact litter has on economic development, tourism and our “quality of life,” in January 2005, Governor Sonny Perdue issued an executive order on litter abatement and prevention. In the executive order he noted a host of problems associated with litter and illegal dumping and called for the creation of a Litter Abatement and Prevention Team composed of representatives from state agencies, local government associations and others to: • ensure coordination, cooperation and communication among state agencies and their litter abatement and prevention programs and activities; • document the extent of the litter issue in Georgia, including developing benchmarks to measure the success of abatement and prevention programs; • make recommendations for more effective litter education, enforcement and cleanup programs, such as convening an awareness summit and developing a competitive Clean Community Challenge; • to convene litter stakeholders and experts at a litter awareness and prevention summit; • review and make recommendations on existing and future funding support mechanisms for litter abatement and prevention, including but not limited to the Solid Waste Trust Fund; and • review existing litter control and prevention laws, rules and regulations, and if necessary, recommend changes. The Litter Abatement and Prevention Team met to develop a concerted strategy to address litter and illegal dumping. One of the first efforts the team undertook was a review of Georgia’s litter prevention and abatement laws. Working with legislators during the 2006 session, the team recommended consolidating the 25 separate code references related to litter and illegal dumping into the Comprehensive Litter Prevention and Abatement Act. The act, among other things, established two categories of litter, made it easier for officers to cite litterers by making the driver of a vehicle responsible for anything leaving his vehicle as litter, and authorized any court, not just 32 GEORGIA 307926_golder.indd 1 COUNTY GOVERNMENT 12/28/06 1:41:37 PM http://www.golder.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Georgia County Government - February 2008

Georgia County Government - February 2008 Contents President's Message County Matters Regional Focus on the Georgia Mountains: Rabun, Habersham and Stephens Counties DNR Commissioner Noel Holcomb Solid Waste Management in Georgia: New Challenges Ahead Essential Elements of Negotiating Professional Service Firm Contracts The Walker County Courthouse at LaFayette Extension News: Partnerships are Key to Conservation Education Research Corner: Interns: An Asset to Every County NACo News: Counties and Climate Change FAQs Georgia Flag to Travel to All 159 Georgia Counties State Announces Regional Recycling Hub Grant Awards Abraham Joins ACCG Support Staff County Parade ACCG Launches e-Magazine Index of Advertisers

Georgia County Government - February 2008

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