Land of excess, land of waste
Jacquie Brasher

In our "Letters to the Editor" section this week, there is a letter from Craig Griner, someone who used to live in Emanuel County. He writes about the appalling problem of litter in our county and that we have to do something about it immediately. I agree with him. We can't turn a blind eye to this embarrassing problem any longer. It's a terrible disgrace.

Over the years, we've had numerous people call our paper to complain about this eyesore. One reader called recently and said she had a friend coming to visit from Germany (a notoriously clean country) and was mortified that he would be driving past littered roadsides and overflowing dumpsters. Another reader called to say that we would never get any big industry to locate here due to the unsightly trash. We've printed many a letter and photograph of litter in Emanuel County. Unfortunately, nothing seems to work. The litter, like an irritatingly painful rash, keeps returning no matter how many times it's cleaned up. I, like the letter writer this week, think that it is no longer up to our local governments to solve this problem- it's up to us. I think we need the county and city to help with the physical removal of trash, but it may be Joe Citizen's duty now to help educate his neighbor- and even turn that neighbor in to the authorities if necessary.

The only thing I take mild exception to in Mr. Griner's letter is his assertion that Emanuel County looks like many "third world" countries he has visited. I grew up in a so-called "third world" country (later re-categorized a "developing country") and I can tell you that my surroundings were pristine. I remember being taught, in school, that littering signified poor character. You just didn't do it. In several Asian countries, litter is considered a crime and punishable by either stiff fines or jail time. That's not what I'm proposing here, although I think stiff fines are a good idea. However, like a parent who threatens punishment and never follows through, posting signs warning of these fines are useless without actual enforcement.

I think we can all agree that America, compared to other countries, is a land of excess. It's also a land of huge waste because of this excess. We throw away more stuff that any other nation in this world. We live in a disposable culture, one of convenience and haste. That doesn't mean we don't have the means to solve this problem. We, even in Emanuel County, have an excellent solution to this problem; it's called the Recycling Center and it's on Industrial Way.

Alan and I have been recycling for about 18 years in South Carolina, Alabama and now, Swainsboro, Georgia. It takes minimal effort and the payback, although unseen, is priceless. In the long run, you're doing something extremely positive for your community, environment, and future. The Recycling Center in Swainsboro is one of the most efficient ones I have seen. It takes paper, plastic, glass and cardboard. All that, combined, is probably three-quarters of our household trash. There is no sense in throwing out these items when they can be re-used! You don't even have to sort out the items because the employees at the Recycling Center will do that for you during the week. And if you can't get there Monday-Friday, the center is open on weekends and the bins are there for your convenience. All you have to do is drive to the facility with your recyclables (plastic and glass containers should be rinsed out). Each bin is clearly marked for "clear glass," "green glass," "plastic" and so on. If you're already driving to a dump site, a few more miles every other week to recycle shouldn't be too much of a hassle. You'll be surprised how little trash you generate after eliminating the recyclables.

Until we can all learn to personally care for our surroundings, whether ours or owned by the city or county, we will never conquer the litter problem. Until we can see each centimeter, inch, foot, and mile as our collective responsibility, litter will continue to exist. Until we recognize that Mother Earth is a living, breathing entity that we are recklessly sullying, we will never be free of the grip of trash spitting in the face of our beautiful Emanuel County countryside. It's up to us.- Jacquie Brasher is senior staff writer for The Forest-Blade and can be reached at jacquie@forest blade.com

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