The City of Douglas urges citizens to help clean up Douglas by not littering our beautiful community. Douglas has excellent parks, a vibrant downtown, and nice green spaces that do not need litter to contaminate them.
“Our citizens should take action daily to make our community a better place,” says City Manager Terrell Jacobs. “Any space that can be seen by the public or visitor should be clean, litter free and represent Douglas and Coffee County well.”
Litter is any piece of misplaced solid waste and can range from cigarette butts to large appliances. According to Keep America Beautiful (KAB), Litter Research, 2015, the most frequently littered items are cigarette butts, food remnants, food wrappers, food containers, beverage containers, napkins and paper including straw wrappers. Even though most roadside litter is caused by motorists, pedestrians, improperly covered loads, debris, and spillage from receptacles is also a contributor to litter (2009 KAB Litter Research).
“The City of Douglas plans to initiate a “Shame On You” Litter and Beautification Program in Spring 2016,” says City Manager Terrell Jacobs. “Planning is taking place to offer a Yard of the Month program and educational programming, as well as, continuing with the Great American Cleanup and recycling programs that are already in place. We are also looking for organizations, clubs, and schools to Adopt-A- Park to help clean up our neighborhood parks in Douglas.”
Some concern has been expressed concern about excess trash around dumpsters. To help reduce excess trash from around trash dumpsters at business/restaurant locations, dumpsters should be locked by the business owner to help prevent “dumpster diving” and scavengers from digging through waste in the dumpster. Local business owners can lock their dumpsters without have to lock/unlock the dumpster for them to be emptied on trash pickup days. Citizens should not illegally dump items in private or business dumpsters. If needed, citizens may request additional trash carts for their residence.
Citizens are encouraged to report littering and litterbugs to the See Something, Say Something line at 311 or 912-384-3302. For more information about the “Shame on You” Litter and Beautification Program, please contact, Public Works Department at 912-389-3450 or visit www.cityofdouglas.com.
