Some good news about litter war

Litter is a nasty business. No doubt about that.

But the good news -- and there's plenty of it -- is that considerable effort is being invested in the litter problem, and the goal of less litter and more community pride is attainable.

That was the tone of a meeting Wednesday attended by more than 25 interested participants who, on their own, can't win the litter war. Together, however, they are a formidable army.

The meeting included highway department, city parks, public works, conservation department, police, Show Me Center, Old Town Cape, Convention and Visitors Bureau, chamber of commerce, university, business and media representatives.

They were single-minded about one thing: Together, we can make a huge dent in the litter problem that annoys and disgusts us on a daily basis.

This Saturday, Old Town Cape is sponsoring a downtown cleanup effort involving the Zonta Club, the new South Side Optimist Club, Central High School students and Sigma Nu fraternity. Helping hands would be welcome. Check today's front page for more details.

On April 23, the Cape Girardeau Parks Department will be sponsoring its 20th annual Friends of the Parks Day at all of the city's parks. This event not only addresses litter, but also involves planting and other beautification work.

(By the way, city park employees are rightfully proud of how clean our parks are.)

Throughout April, the Missouri Department of Transportation has a special emphasis on its adopt-a-highway program called No MOre Trash! Bash 2005. This is scheduled for the first full month of spring because that's when most of us return to outdoor activities after winter.

There were plenty of good ideas raised at the litter meeting.

One was to have a hotline to report littering.

Another was to encourage motorists to call the police with license-plate numbers when you spot someone throwing trash from a vehicle.

The public works representatives reminded haulers of trash and other debris that they are legally required to cover their loads to prevent blowing litter along streets and roads.

The police department confirmed that obtaining a parade permit includes a responsibility for cleaning up after the parade. Wouldn't it be nice if parade watchers minded their manners and either took their trash home or put it in a trash container?

Speak Out, as you have noticed, has been chock full of comments about litter. As expected with any Speak Out topic, it only takes a few days for the sentiment of some comments to shift toward the negative.

"Enough with litter," one caller said. "I'm tired of reading about it."

I don't want to sound too harsh, but to those callers I only have one word to say -- a word made famous by Archie Bunker:

Stiffle!

I hope our communities don't get tired of talking about and dealing with litter, because as soon as we stop getting riled up about it, the problem will creep back and put us even deeper in the hole.

No, it will take a lot of talk -- public awareness, ideas, strategies, possibly even tougher ordinances and state laws -- to effectively deal with the litter around us.

But we have much to be proud of, and the ongoing efforts and those in the works to make a difference deserve our wholehearted support.

You're certainly going to be hearing about anti-litter efforts in the Southeast Missourian for a long time. We'll stop when the litter is gone.

R. Joe Sullivan is the editor of the Southeast Missourian.