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Other communities in the triangle area need a program like this indeed!
(especially for the Crabtree Creek watershed in Raleigh)

We just had a great trip to the outer banks down Hwy 12 to Hatteras and Ocracoke and back up to Kill Devil Hills. Taking Hwy 64 going and Hwy 158, Hwy 301 and Hwy 561 coming back home, we encountered some beautiful countryside with huge fields of corn, peanuts, soybeans and cotton growing and charming communities with beautiful homes and neatly landscaped yards.

Among all this beauty, we saw lots of litter along the roadside, in parking lots, along the streets, on the beach and the riverbanks. We even saw folks mowing over litter while doing their yard work.

In the 549 miles we traveled, we saw no one littering, no litter blowing out of truck beds or car windows, trash trucks or trash containers. Yet, we saw lots and lots of people but not even one pick up a piece of litter.

Fast food trash, aluminum cans and plastic bottles that are litter appear to be pitched but is there any real proof as to how it all gets there?  From the evidence I have seen in picking up roadside trash, I am inclined to believe that some of this also blows out of trucks and trailers.  People do take this stuff home with them and put it in their household trash which is hauled here, there and everywhere. 

When hauling household trash to the dump, we all know that if a bag of trash does not have enough weight to hold it down, it will blow out.  Trash will also blow out of any splits or openings as plastic bags blow up like balloons and as air goes in, trash can escape through any opening.  When this happens, the bag gets lighter and eventually the bag with the remainder of the contents can blow out.

Open trash containers are another problem.  Animals can get in the trash. Early in the morning, while you are still sleeping, crows are busy pulling trash out of containers and dumpsters looking for food. They know how to open and empty the contents of a plastic bag.  They do not pick up after themselves when they get finished. If the wind is blowing, it does not take long for the trash to scatter especially the plastic bags.

So, when you see plastic bags and fast food trash in parking lots, on the roadside, in the streets and everywhere don't be too quick to judge. We can only assume as to how it got there unless we actually saw it happen.

I would be willing to bet that there are not as many slobs out there as it appears.

Anyhow, the litter is piling up and needs to be cleaned up.  Are you willing to help?

I got the opportunity to swat a litterbug this week. We were on I-40 when I noticed a bag in the back of a truck that didn’t look secure. I watched it for quite a while and had just about decided that it was not going to be a problem when all of a sudden it broke loose and blew out. It was a plastic grocery bag that was either hung on something or the contents emptied when the bag blew out. This doesn't sound like a big deal but piece-by-piece, it all adds up. I've had 2 people to tell me that a plastic bag got sucked up into the motor of their vehicle which caused major damage and them some costly repairs.  Therefore, I try not to run over plastic bags.

It does not take but one to make a big mess. I had a fellow tell me he was behind a truck loaded with trash that did not look secure. He was thinking all the time he was behind this vehicle that something was going to blow out. When the truck speeded up and passed the vehicle in front, trash started blowing everywhere. I asked excitedly, “Did you get the license tag number?” And he said, “No, I couldn’t catch up with him.”

Would you like to swat a litterbug? If you witness litter blowing from a vehicle or someone pitch it out the window, get the license tag number. You will also need to note the date, time, county, city and highway and be ready to describe the violation. To find the on line Swat-A-Litterbug form for reporting litterbugs, just type swat a litterbug in the search field of your computer and you will find the NCDOT Roadside Environmental Unit web site. Pull up the form,  fill it out and send.  The owner of the vehicle will get a notice in the mail. (that’s swat not smack)

According to Keep America Beautiful, litter comes from seven primary sources with unsecured loads being one of them. Evidence on our roadsides shows that securing the load is an encumbrance for some especially when it comes to taking trash to the dumpsite.

Through realization of the how and whys from several mishaps of our own, we found a way to secure our load. We would like to share these tips as it makes securing the load, especially the small items, very simple, quick and easy.

(1) Make a scroll net. A scroll net can be made from a truck net or any type of netting material. Attach it to 2 fence post poles or to two 2-inch diameter plastic pipes. A net allows the air to flow through while holding items in place. We keep our net in the truck so it’s convenient to secure one item or a whole load.

(2) Take your trash to the dump in the trash container. Double secure the lid with a bungee cord stretched across the top and hooked to the handles. Using this method for hauling trash to the dump can also save you trash bags. Use plastic grocery bags to put household trash in. Just tie the handles together and put the little bags of trash in the container. Be sure to double secure the lid.

(3) Keep a weight handy. We have a 5-pound lead brick that we use in addition to the net for holding items, such as large pieces of cardboard, in place. You can make this weight by melting lead and pouring it into a mold.

For securing small objects in the back of our truck, to us the scroll net is a necessity. Please share any tips you have for securing the load.

To learn more about litter sources go to web site: www.kab.org/site/PageServer?pagename=litter_sevensources

Swatting litterbugs can be hard to do as it’s not easy to get a license plate number and sometimes it can be dangerous to try. Since all litterbugs can’t be reported, I would like to encourage you to post to this forum and tell what you have seen. No license plate number is needed for these accounts, just truthful facts.

To catch someone on a main road in the act of pitching out trash, you have to be quick. It can be questionable if the litter was already in the road and airflow from the vehicle caused it to lift into the air. But, while in town, I have witnessed some no doubt in my mind incidents, like the time we were leaving the drive-in window at McDonalds and I saw the fellow just ahead stick out both arms, peel off what appeared to be a very sticky piece of paper and drop it in the shrubbery and the time I saw a fellow ball up a burger wrapper and throw it out the window like he was ringing a basketball goal. I swatted both of these litterbugs and it felt good.

Since retirement, my husband and I have enjoyed traveling across the state. When on the road, interstates especially, I’m eyeballing for litterbugs while he is doing the driving. Not only the trucks and trailers in front of us but also I watch the vehicles across the median. Usually I will see something happening like a cardboard box blowing out. A while back, across the median I glanced a pickup loaded with furniture. At that moment, it looked like the whole load exploded and chairs started falling from the load. This was near Burlington and I couldn’t tell how much fell as when I looked back the barrier blocked my view. However, it was a dangerous situation.

While working at Social Services, I’ll never forget the trip down I-85 to a Food Stamp Conference. As usual, the traffic was very busy and we were locked in at 70 MPH. A truck pulling a huge trailer loaded at least 10 feet high with bails of straw merged into traffic.  All of a sudden it looked like the back end of the load exploded and bails of straw fell in the road in front of us. We probably should have plowed through them but our alert driver managed to weave in and out of them without losing control or hitting another vehicle. The truck driver saw it happening and immediately pulled off to the side. Although, I didn’t hear of any accident caused by this incident, it was quite scary.

Unsecured loads are a hazard to our safety and a violation of our state law. Nationwide about 25,000 accidents are caused annually by debris in the roadway some resulting in injury and even death to motorist. In Franklin County a lady was killed when she rounded a curve on a rural road and lost control of her vehicle trying to avoid a mattress in the road.

Where is all this roadside litter coming from?  Please reply and tell what you have seen happening.

I don't litter, never have, but I'm sorely tempted to do a bit lof littering along a certain section of Reedy Creek Road.

Jeff DeWitt