County officials and community leaders are urging Lincoln Countyresidents to participate in an effort to clean up communitiesnationwide in April and May.

“We’re encouraging people to pick some places in their owncommunity, even if its only 100 yards to either side of theirhouse, to clean up,” said Homer Richardson, a Keep Lincoln CountyBeautiful committee member.

Efforts in April and May are tied to the national Great AmericanClean Up campaign, he said.

“Spring is the time of year when people really want things to bepretty, so it’s good timing,” Richardson said. “The grass isturning green and flowers are beginning to bloom, but the beautycan be spoiled by a pile of litter.”

Litter is only one component of the campaign, however. Largegarbage bins will be located at strategic areas in each districtduring a specified week for residents to dispose of furniture,mattresses, televisions, clothes, building materials or other itemsnot generally accepted with the regular household garbage. Inaddition, batteries, tires and white goods may be placed on theground near the garbage receptacle for removal.

“The two things they can’t do is mix household garbage with whatthey drop off or scavenge,’ Richardson said. “You would besurprised how many people scavenge items, and then they reappear ayear later.”

The bins will be placed in district order beginning April 5-9 onMonticello Street east of County Farm Road in District One.

The bins will be moved to the Brignall Voting Precinct, at theintersection of Brignall and Howard roads, in District Two fromApril 12-16.

During the third week of the Lincoln County campaign, April19-23, the bins will be located in Bogue Chitto on Highway 51 atBrister Street before being moved to the intersection of HurricaneLake Drive and Springview Road in District Four from April26-30.

The last week of the campaign, May 3-7, will find the bins inDistrict Five at the James Case Store on California Road.

Litter, however, provides an excellent opportunity for churchesor civic groups to perform a community service that will be bringvalued visibility to their organization, he said. Free trash bagsare available at the District Two barn for anyone to use.

Collected litter can be disposed of at homes on trash collectiondays, taken to the dump or even delivered to the District Twobarn.

Richardson said participation in the campaign has usually beenhigh, but is even more important this year.

“Last year was a particularly tough year with litteraccumulating on the side of the road,” he said. “Our surveyindicated a significant jump in the amount of litter. It had beencoming down for the past several years, but spiked again lastyear.”

County litter programs were placed on hold for several monthswhen an investigation of the county jail forced the MississippiDepartment of Corrections to remove state inmates from the program,Richardson said. The loss of designated litter crews attributed toa rise in roadside litter and present litter crews are stillstruggling to overcome the accumulation during that period.

“We need the community’s involvement more than ever,” hesaid.

For more information, call County Litter Coordinator Ronnie Durrat (601) 835-1987.