Trash problem is everyone's task

Gazette Editorial Board

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Fewer volunteer groups are picking up trash along Iowa highways. Meanwhile, there's been no appreciable decline in the amount of trash that motorists, passengers and pedestrians toss into the state's roadsides, putting more pressure on government to fix the problem. That's not a trend Iowans many Iowans welcome, nor should we accept.

A Monday Gazette report noted:

l The number of groups in the state's 23-year-old Adopt-A-Highway program has been declining in recent years. Our 12-county area, District 6, saw the number of such groups decline 15 in the past year alone, to 261.

l In the past six years, the Iowa Department of Transportation's annual litter-removal costs have risen 53 percent to nearly $750,000.

We salute Iowa's Adopt-A-Highway volunteer groups for their commitment and hard work. However, unless many more of us do our part to put trash where it belongs, it's unrealistic to expect volunteers and local or state governments to pick up all the slack - especially during a time when government funding for road construction and repairs, let alone trash collection, is increasingly scarce.

Finding Adopt-A-Highway volunteers, especially for the rural stretches of highways, is a growing challenge. Even such groups as the Kiwanis Club of Maquoketa, this district's longest-serving Adopt-a-Highway organization, are reporting more difficulty in recruiting volunteers. The groups cite the advancing age of many volunteers who are seniors, and the hectic schedules and other volunteer activities to which many people are committed.

Not a pretty picture. And frustrating. Because keeping our roadsides, as well as city streets, cleaner is largely about Iowans' commitment to two simple things:

l Never toss trash out your vehicle window.

l Don't automatically assume somebody else will pick up trash along your neighborhood street or highway. Do your part.

Toward inspiring more personal responsibility, community leaders should be collaborative with residents. For example, the City of Cedar Rapids is promoting two programs as part of its CleanUpCR campaign:

1-Bag Challenge: City Manager Jeff Pomeranz is challenging every resident to collect at least one bag of litter this year. The city provides free kits (available at Hy-Vee Food or Drug Stores) that include a trash bag and pair of gloves. And no extra charge for the city to pick up the filled bags.

Interstate-380 Cleanup: On April 28, the city will provide reflective safety vests, bags and, if you need them, gloves. Meet at the Sam's Club parking lot by 9 a.m.

It all starts at home. If we can't clean up after ourselves, what does that say about Iowans and how we care about our neighborhoods, our communities, our state? We all need to do our part.

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