Litter-control organization struggling

About five years ago, leaders of Jackson, Cape Girardeau, Cape Girardeau County and Scott City gathered to tackle the litter situation in Southeast Missouri.

"Paul Sander and I declared war on litter," said Cape Girardeau mayor Jay Knudtson about his leadership with former Jackson mayor Paul Sander.

The result was the organization of Keep Southeast Missouri Beautiful in March 2007, a community service group affiliated with the national Keep America Beautiful. The group's goals were to coordinate and encourage litter cleanup projects, sustain existing efforts and educate the population on how to avoid littering.

In 2006 and 2007, the organizations' leaders had some success. They were able to conduct a litter survey of the region, distribute educational materials to elementary schools, facilitate the Adopt-A-Street and Adopt-A-Highway programs and encourage government officials to pursue a grant for scrap tire cleanups. On multiple occasions, Sander and Knudtson took to area streets themselves to clean up litter. Some fraternities and sororities organized a Greek week to clean up streets.

But since 2007, the organization has been almost inactive, according to current and former advisory council members for Keep Southeast Missouri Beautiful.

Knudtson, a council member, said his vision for litter pick-up has not come to pass. He said he hoped to see "young and old," several community groups and university fraternities and sororities out on the streets routinely picking up litter.

Too large a task

Knudtson said he believed the reason that vision failed to be realized was because the task of keeping the whole region clean was too large. Instead, he said he believed each community should focus on control of its own litter.

He also said he believed leaders were not able to devote time to focus on litter cleanup. As others who have a lot on their plates, he said, "I was not able to stay on top of it."

Sander, a former council member, said he and Knudtson saw the program as an opportunity to bring Cape Girardeau and Jackson together to accomplish a noble goal. However, he did not have an explanation for what happened to the group in the last year.

"Up until a year ago when I left office, it was working fine," Sander said. "What's happened since then, I can't say."

Acting Jackson mayor Barbara Lohr was unavailable Saturday for comment on her involvement in the program.

Some success

Cape Girardeau police chief Carl Kinnison said he believes the program has had more success than Knudtson attributes to it. He said his department has a better understanding of how littering occurs and how to cite litterers, such as dump trucks en route to transfer stations with litter that flies out of the back of trucks. He said he stations officers outside the transfer station on South Sprigg Street to watch for litter flying from trucks and to cite violators.

To fight other instances of littering, Kinnison encourages residents to report litter to the police department's Crime Stoppers line at 332-0500.

Kinnison also said he believed the group's efforts encouraged greater use of prison inmates to clean up roadways once or twice a month.

Leadership issues

Leadership issues have surfaced with the chairman, vice chairman and secretary of Keep Southeast Missouri Beautiful. David Ludwig, county auditor and chairman of Keep Southeast Missouri Beautiful, has had health issues and surgeries in recent months. The other two leaders have been unable to be involved in the leadership.

Ludwig was not available for comment.

As a result, Tim Arbeiter, staff liaison for the advisory board and vice president for community development at the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce, has had to take on a larger leadership role in the program.

Going forward, Arbeiter said he had two main goals for the organization: to reassemble a leadership body and to reinvigorate the Adopt-A-Street and Adopt-A-Highway programs. Arbeiter said he hoped individuals and groups would step up and take ownership of two blocks or the area in front of their home or business.

Arbeiter also said he wanted to conduct a litter survey to renew the group's affiliation with the national organization. The group must conduct a 2008 litter survey by March 2009 to remain active. The survey has yet to be conducted.

tthomas@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 197

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