Editorial

Anti-litter campaign

Making a city visually attractive is important. In recent months there has been talk about what downtown businesses, for example, can do to make the Broadway corridor more appealing. Repairing, and in some cases tearing down, dilapidated buildings is one component. The city of Cape Girardeau's current Broadway streetscape project is another. But there's one thing we can all do to make our community more inviting to outsiders: pick up litter.

Keep Southeast Missouri Beautiful, a project championed by leaders in Cape Girardeau, Jackson and Scott City, started in 2007. The effort was affiliated with the national Keep America Beautiful organization. Unfortunately the local program became less active in the years that followed. But Cape Girardeau city councilwoman Loretta Schneider recently reintroduced the idea of an anti-litter campaign.

While it's still to be determined what approach will be taken to get this project started and who will organize it, there's something each of us can do to get the ball rolling. Many individuals and groups are already out picking up trash, keeping the areas outside work, home or public places looking nice. To these individuals, thank you.

We hope you consider what you might do to help in the anti-litter effort. Maybe you're one who has littered in the past. Simply taking the time to throw your bottles, sacks, cigarettes or other items in a trash goes a long way. Or maybe you would like to encourage your civic group to adopt an area to pick up trash. These efforts, no matter how big or small, benefit our communities. And with the arrival of spring, now is a great time to get started.

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