I have yet to see a bumper sticker that reads, "Littering is Good. Do your part." The Jan. 4 editorial "Anti-litter battle" addressed one of the main tenets of Keep North Carolina Beautiful - litter prevention. As the state chapter of Keep America Beautiful (KAB), we engage and empower individuals to take greater responsibility for the cleanliness of community environments.
No matter the source of litter - a driver who values the interior of his or her car over the appearance of our state's roadsides or the well-intentioned driver of a pickup truck taking his uncovered load to the county landfill - litter costs. Our friends at the state Department of Transportation spend on average $19 million annually on litter removal. KAB reports that the presence of litter in a community decreases property values by 7 percent.
Littering is wrong - just like not tipping your waiter, not saying excuse me when you collide into someone and not opening the door for a woman towing a caravan of kids. Let's hear it for Wake County's new litter awareness campaign, "86it." May we all pledge to embrace this campaign to make our community cleaner, greener, safer and more livable.
