Nationwide group adds vigor to area's litter fight

~ Organizers speak to area leaders about goals and requirements for Keep America Beautiful status.

It may be the old anti-litter campaign fitted with new teeth and new enthusiasm, but after a meeting with a national coordinator for Keep America Beautiful, Southeast Missouri is gearing up to fight litter with a vigor never before seen.

"There's a phrase we like to use, we say we're 'tearing through the fabric of complacency,'" said KAB national trainer Sue Smith.

If Tuesday morning's turnout at the Osage Centre is any indication, complacency will not be a problem. During her hour-long overview, Smith had the ear of a wide range of representatives from all levels of administration in Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Scott City and Cape Girardeau county.

The result: a new organization called "Keep Southeast Missouri Beautiful," a soon- to-be-announced home office, and a new mission statement, "engaging individuals to take greater responsibility for our Southeast Missouri environment."

So the goals are in place. Now the representatives must form a 20-member advisory council which will oversee four subcommittees charged with education, finance, media relations, and enforcement. All of this with the goal of cleaning up the area.

For their part, officials were attentive. "We haven't scratched the surface yet as far as the prevention stuff, and that's what we're so excited about is changing the mindset that causes litter," said Cape Girardeau mayor Jay Knudtson.

Smith laid out the steps the area must take to receive KAB affiliation. These, she said, are the same steps needed to curtail the illegal dumping, casual littering, and other nuissance activities that can tarnish an area's image.

The most important part, she said, is making citizens "feel ownership" of their envrionment.

Identify the Problem

But before changing the culture, Southeast Missouri must first identify the scope of the problem. That means conducting a regionwide "litter index."

The index is compiled by sending people out in the field, some to so-called litter "hot spots," and others to cleaner areas. These observers will rate their assigned sectors on a scale from one to four with one being the cleanest. The end product will be a data overlay on GIS mapping pinpointing the area's trouble spots. That product is still years away, but the initial effort will serve as an informational "snapshot" of the litter situation.

Smith suggested first attacking well known areas of blight.

"A lot of our work, especially in the first couple years is visual," she said. "People are going to say 'Yeah right, keep Southeast Missouri beautiful, well I see trash every time I get off exit blank.' Well then that's where we want to be, we want to do exit blank.'"

Southeast Missouri has a challenge in collecting this information because its KAB zone will include three towns, a county, and a university. Some were overwhelmed at the prospect of compiling litter data on all 430 miles of county roads included in the zone. Smith, however, cautioned patience. -

The council will add locations to the index each year.

Certification

Smith will return for a certification announcement probably at the SEMO District Fair. At that time she'd like to see a litter index and a well-organized administration structure.

The effort will be worth it, said council chair Tim Arbeiter. "The key here is to affiliate with a national network that gives us the resources and tools to make this job easier," he said. The national network's benefits also includes the pooling of information and access to money from some of KAB's hundreds of corporate sponsors. Smith said a KAB study showed that every dollar spent by local organizations is matched with 12 dollars of outside funding. Those interested can keep track of the progress at the Southeast Missouri blog at KAB.org

tgreaney@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245