CHAMBER, CITY ADDRESS LITTER

Things are getting better, but some areas of Cape Girardeau remain covered in food wrappers, cigarette butts and soda cans.

The Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce wants it cleaned up completely.

Chamber Beautification Committee members met with city officials over the problem and discovered the Public Works Department already took the first steps toward solving it.

Public Works director Doug Leslie and solid-waste coordinator Pam Sander spoke to committee members during a Tuesday meeting at the chamber office, explaining what could be done.

On Saturday, the first group of prisoners and court-sentenced community service workers picked up trash on Good Hope and around Central High School. Leslie said the workers, who also help sort recyclables at a city warehouse, may be available for future projects.

That availability may be limited as using prisoners and community service workers depends on having a city employee that can supervise them.

Another option is reviving the city's Adopt-A-Street program started five years ago. Several groups signed up to adopt a street and take responsibility for cleaning up litter. Only one -- St. Mary's Cathedral's early childhood program -- is continuing the work.

Leslie said the rest were more concerned with getting their names on signs than actually keeping the city clean.

"We're looking for a commitment, not just people who will do it one time and let it fall apart," he said.

That problem isn't confined to cities, said Rudy Zuroweste, roadside-management specialist for the Missouri Transportation Department in Jefferson City. Because there are thousands of Missouri highways adopted by community groups, the only way the Transportation Department can stay in touch with them is through a quarterly newsletter.

Zuroweste said there is a large turnover in Adopt-A-Highway participants.

"People could stop picking up trash for a year and we wouldn't know about it unless there was a complaint," he said. "Then we call them and usually find that the volunteer group has fallen apart. Depending on the area, it can be pretty easy or pretty hard to find replacements."

Leslie said the committee should consider going to Southeast Missouri State University and each Cape Girardeau public school and working with existing clubs. The clubs could adopt streets around schools as service projects.

"These programs tend to be short-lived because the enthusiasm drops," said Leslie. "Then we're stuck with a $60 sign with no use for it."

Sander already plans to visit the schools after the first of the year to talk about recycling. She said she will take litter bags and workbooks about recycling to distribute to classes.

Sander also is concerned with solving the litter problem in other areas.

"Things are getting better," she said. "I think people are learning. But in some parts of town, like the corner of Middle and Good Hope, the trash problem is terrible. If we put a trash container on one side of the lot, they throw the trash on the other side."

Leslie said city staff still is trying to decide what to do about overloaded Dumpsters in downtown Cape Girardeau. No solutions have been reached about how to make business owners control the waste pile-up around the containers.