As a property owner in Port Royal, I walk the streets daily. We have a beautiful community. I have photographed it often. However, recently, I have seen an unwelcome change.
I have noticed an alarming increase in litter in the town. I do my part to gather litter and dispose of it, but some days, it feels like I am fighting a losing battle. Discouraged by this increase in litter, I became inspired by some questions that I endeavored to research.
Where is the increase in litter coming from?
Laziness and lack of garbage receptacles are common reasons for litter, but there is more to it than that. Another interesting reason you may have observed an increase in litter is that volunteers stayed in during recent pandemics, and many have yet to return. State House Report wrote an interesting article that you can read here.
https://www.statehousereport.com/2021/06/18/big-story-littering-creates-more-than-trashiness-in-s-c/
What is the impact of littering on our community?
Litter impacts the appearance of our community. Litter impacts the waterways and the wildlife that inhabits them. Litter clogs the stormwater infrastructure.
I read an interesting article while researching this blog post. Sea turtles see plastic bags as jellyfish and eat them. Then plastics clog their stomachs and cause them to starve. Read that article here.
What is the correlation between increased population and littering?
According to an article on the Palmetto Pride website, population density contributes to increased litter in our communities. You can read that article here.
What are State, County, and Town governments doing to decrease and discourage litter in our communities?
State: The state runs a website https://www.palmettopride.org/ with loads of resources and documentation on what the state is doing to educate the communities and reduce littering.
County: Beaufort County and The Town of Port Royal have their litter enforcement administration listed on the Palmetto Pride website. You can see that page here.
https://www.palmettopride.org/enforcement/county-information/beaufort-county/
Town: The Town of Port Royal lists information on their litter control officer on their website. You can see that page here.
https://www.portroyal.org/directory.aspx?eid=49
What can we do about it?
Pick up litter if you come across it on your daily walk or ride. I know it’s not your litter, but we must work as a team to keep our community beautiful.
If you see someone littering or dumping, report it. Palmetto Pride has an app you can download from their website for easy reporting. They also have a phone number. You can easily access these resources here.
https://www.palmettopride.org/litterbugbuster/
Another option is reporting observed littering directly to the Port Royal police department.
Let other locals know you care. Here is an example of another local doing just that.
https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/environment/article281380363.html
Please don’t ignore the litter. Research shows that when people observe litter in an area, they mentally justify that it is ok to litter that area and will continue to do so.
If you have feedback regarding this article, feel free to contact me at jarrod.andrews.sc@gmail.com