Dear Editor:
I can't help but notice a larger than usual amount of litter around the streets and highways of Jefferson City. Everywhere you look, you can't miss the recent explosion in the amount of trash lying all over the town.
As a child, we were taught that littering is against the law. We all have a responsibility to keep the trash in the receptacles that it belongs in and recycle everything that we can. Litter being thrown out of a vehicle and left on the sides of roads and highways is a danger to other vehicles as winds from weather and traffic blow trash around. Cigarettes are litter too and should not be thrown out the window!
Jefferson City's litter issue can also prove to be a very ugly visual experience for visitors to our community.
How can we expect others to obtain the desire to relocate here and invest in our city if it appears that we haven't invested in the beauty of our city ourselves? It is up to us as parents to teach our children to respect our city/country and put litter where litter belongs.
Is it the responsibility of the city and state to clean up the trash or is it done by volunteers? Maybe we need more people to adopt a section of each highway to clean. I'm sure we have organizations that would be honored to contribute. Perhaps we just need to stop littering in the first place!
I've noticed that in the winter months this is worse. Probably due to the visibility increase as nature is dormant. But there is also an extremely large amount of empty salt bags littering the roads. I'm guessing that they blow out of the truck beds of independent snow removal trucks or perhaps personal vehicles. These companies and citizens need to take more responsibility in the disposal of the bags. A very simple solution would be to put the empty bags inside your truck instead of the bed so they don't blow everywhere.
As individuals we can and should all do more to keep our city beautiful. We are the Capital! We should set an example of what a clean, beautiful city should be for the rest of the state. I believe a stronger effort would send a positive message to others implicating that the citizens of Jefferson City take pride and care about our city.