WAR ON LITTER

Litter along city streets and rural highways is a problem as old as roadbuilding. Efforts to curb unsightly trash from our byways, such as the one just launched by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce's beautification committee, can go a long way in reducing the problem.

Years ago the state highway department put signs along highways that said, "$100 fine for littering," which prompted some wags to wonder who had hundred-dollar bills to waste as roadside trash. It is still illegal to trash the state's right of ways, but there hasn't been much of a push to remind motorists in recent years.

Instead, the highway department has developed a network of volunteers to pick up highway litter. The names of these volunteer groups are posted along the highways to draw attention both to the cleanup effort and to the problem of littering.

Some states -- Colorado comes to mind -- have both strict laws and equally strict enforcement of highway anti-litter laws. As a state that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors every year, Colorado has placed a high priority of presenting as good a face as possible. Residents and visitors alike appreciate the effort.

In Cape Girardeau, most of the problem is caused by uncaring motorists who find it convenient to toss out food containers, cigarette packages and numerous other unwanted items. On Broadway recently, a man who obviously spends a lot of time in his pickup and drinks a lot of coffee in paper cups took advantage of a wait at a stoplight to do some housecleaning. Before the light turned green, he had tossed out eight empty or partially filled coffee cups into the street with little regard for the several other motorists who were watching.

This is the sort of thing that makes beautification committee members see red. Although they don't know exactly how to solve the problem, they have committed to finding ways to reduce the trash on city streets. At the outset, the committee has acknowledged that education -- and publicity -- will go a long way in developing a mindset that a beautiful city is something everyone can enjoy and appreciate.

The police department is willing to do its part. Whenever a motorist is seen tossing litter into the street, jot down the license number, pick up the trash and call the police. In most cases a summons will be issued.

There will be other plans of attack as the beautification committee's war on litter develops. The result will be a cleaner and prettier city. That is a worthy objective.