DON’T WASTE OUR COUNTY – PUT LITTER IN IT’S PLACE!

We all need to do our part to keep it clean!

What does your government do?

Did you know Oldham County spends your tax dollars every year on clean up and waste reduction? Some programs include:

• Making corrections officials available to supervise inmate crews on cleanup patrols.
• Providing support services for organized neighborhood cleanups including providing debris and trash bags, and gloves and collecting bags once the cleanup is completed.
• Removing illegal signs from right-of-ways including utility poles.
• Remove large items dumped along the roadside right-of-way
• Enforce applicable litter laws by citing violators through our law enforcement officials.
• Educating the public on the affects of litter on our community and changing behavioral patterns.

What can I do?

As an individual citizen you should make sure your trash is securely placed in the proper receptacle. This means putting cigarette buts in an ashtray, securing paper and other items so that they don’t blow out of your vehicle and properly sealing your garbage containers. Recycle materials to save landfill space, energy and natural resources. A high percentage of litter is actually recyclable! When you see litter, pick it up and throw it away rather than merely stepping over it. Set an example and encourage your friends to do the same. Carry a litterbag in your vehicle or bicycle. Organize cleanups in your neighborhood or subdivision. Take pride in your community and do your part to make Oldham County litter-free through your participation!

As a business you can educate employees by placing anti-litter articles in your newsletters or other corporate communications. Encourage your employees to take pride in their workplace by keeping it litter-free. You can set a good example by making sure your dumpsters are closed and providing cigarette receptacles at the entrance to your building. Adopt an area around your business and form a “Litter Lunch Crew” to police the area on a weekly basis.

MORE “LITTER” KNOWN FACTS

Q: What is litter?

A: Litter is the most visible sign of pollution. It is anything that is left where it is not meant to be. Litter is unsightly and dangerous. It can cause injury to people and wildlife. It encourages pest animals as well as the spread of germs and disease.

Q: Are cigarette butts really litter?
A: There is a lot of misinformation out there regarding cigarette butt litter, including the notion that cigarette filters are biodegradable. In fact, the acetate filters can take many years to decompose. Often wind and rain carry the cigarette into the water supply, where the toxic chemicals the filter was designed to trap leak out into aquatic ecosystems, threatening the quality of the water and marine life. Cigarette butts may seem small, but with several trillion butts littered every year they are a major source of litter in this county.
Q: If someone is caught littering in Oldham County, what are the consequences?
A: If an officer witnesses any person in the act of litter they may be cited and are subject to a fine of up to $1000, imprisoned for up to 50 days or both!
Q: Why do people litter?
A: People who litter feel no sense of ownership or pride for the community. They believe someone else will remove it or they are too lazy to dispose of the item(s) properly. Where there is litter already present at a particular site, those who feel adding litter to it is “no big deal.”

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