Aiken County will create a task force just to deal with litter, following a recommendation Tuesday from Council's Judicial and Public Safety Committee.
That Committee in March recommended creating a litter task force after sharing ideas on ways to deter residents from littering. With the exception of Council member Chuck Smith, who was not present, Council members agreed this was a positive first step toward dealing with the ongoing litter problem in the County.
"There's been a lot of interest in this; I'm telling you," said Council member LaWana McKenzie, who also serves on the Judicial and Public Safety Committee.
- The task force will be made up of five residents and two other members from County departments, the Sheriff's Office or nonprofits dedicated to cleaning up litter.
- The task force will be responsible for assisting with the development of a marketing plan and implementation of the County's anti-litter campaign.
- Each appointee will serve a four-year term, and the committee will meet at least quarterly.
- 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.
- Per state law, 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. Any garbage load transported by a vehicle must be properly and securely fastened.
- If a person is caught littering, that person must pay $470 and perform eight hours of community service, according to state law. If that person elects not to do community service, he or she must pay an additional $40.
- County Assistant Administrator Andrew Merriman asked Council to come up with residents in their district they think would be good candidates for the litter task force by their next regular meeting.
During Council's regular meeting, County resident Diane Willing asked Council if they would be willing to change the County's noise ordinance, citing ongoing incidents involving one particular neighbor. Willing said since 2013, this neighbor has "harassed" residents late at night by shooting guns and shooting off fireworks in the area.
Maayan Schechter is the local government reporter with Aiken Standard. An Atlanta native, she has a mass communications-journalism degree with the University of North Carolina Asheville. Follow her on Twitter @MaayanSchechter.