Aiken County Council is expected to create a task force Tuesday specifically to deal with litter.
The 7 p.m. meeting is open to the public, and will be held in the Aiken County Government Center's Council Chambers, 1930 University Parkway.
In March, Council's Judicial and Public Safety Committee recommended creating a litter task force after throwing around ideas to deter residents from littering.
If approved, the litter task force would be made up of five voting members and two members recommended by staff and appointed by Council, according to the agenda. Each appointee will serve a four-year term, and the committee will meet at least quarterly.
The task force will be responsible for assisting with the development of a marketing plan and implementation of the County's anti-litter campaign.
Just this month, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley proclaimed April as Zero Tolerance for Litter month, stemming from South Carolina's ongoing rank as one of the dirtiest states in the nation. In 2014, the National Anti-Litter Group gave South Carolina the No. 50 spot, mainly for its lack of litter taxation, "container deposits" that the group says are proven to reduce litter, removal expenditures and "comprehensive recycling rules and legislation."
South Carolina does have litter laws: No person can dump, throw, drop, deposit, discard or otherwise dispose of litter or other solid waste on any public property or in the waters of the state, whether from a vehicle or other option, according to Keep the Midlands Beautiful, an organization aimed to involve the community through litter prevention. Any garbage load transported by a vehicle must be properly and securely fastened.
Although laws are in place, Council members have said they don't appear to be working.
Assistant County Administrator Andrew Merriman told the Judicial and Public Safety Committee members last month he'd like to somehow mirror the way Berkeley County handles its litter.
Merriman said in Berkeley County, there is one magistrate who handles litter court, and for individuals who are cited for littering, the magistrate assigns that individual with a vest stating "I'm a litter bug" and a stretch of road to clean up.
Merriman said the minimum fine for ticketing is $470, but usually that fine is lowered to about $90. Council members discussed putting magnets with littering punishments on County-owned vehicles and even installing cameras to catch individuals who litter.
In other business, Council will congratulate the Midland Valley High School men's basketball team on its Class AAA state championship.
Maayan Schechter is the local government reporter with Aiken Standard. Follow her on Twitter @MaayanSchechter.