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Adopt-A-Highway Letters supporting a West Virginia Bottle Bill
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are contacting you regarding this year's annual Adopt-A-Highway Cleanup, and
the West Virginia Legislation entitled "The Bottle Bill". Once again in our 18
years we will sleepily don our orange vests, break out the orange bags, gloves,
and tools to clean myriads of bottles, illegally dumped garbage and other
debris. However this year we are not participating with as much "vim and vigor"
as in years past.
Our segment covers three miles of Berkeley County Route 3/2 Allensville Road, to
the intersection of Cherry Run Road. It is a beautiful walk along Back Creek and
through the mountainous country side. However,with all the bottles, cans and
other refuse it becomes a blatant eye sore if we do not clean it up. This route
is also used heavily by residential customers to our local landfill, items and
bags of garbage from un-tarped loads falling off into and along the roadway, and
in one portion rolling off into Back Creek and Gough's Run tributary. Again this
area is a lovely showcase if you will for Back Creek. Our strategy for our
watershed project 18 years ago was to establish an annual litter patrol, and
cleanup in areas such as this segment along Back Creek, to prevent all the
bottles, tires, trash and debris from getting into the creek and tributaries
then rinsing into the Potomac River.
The Potomac being the second largest feeder to the Chesapeake Bay and a National
Heritage River. For years the litter and debris were not too bad. We had
wonderful patrol and guidance from the West Virginia DNR / DEP under the
direction of Officers Jerry Jenkins, Ken Winter and Rod Mills. When it came to
figuring out what to do with hazardous materials found illegally dumped, or
special items (such as burned out car frames dumped in the creek) problematic
situations where we no sooner cleaned up someone came and either dumped again,
or burned our bags (unless they were set some where close to neighboring homes
for pickup) these individuals were there and did a wonderful job "assisting"
(fining or law enforcement measures) . For a while it was a wonderful working
partnership, as well as learning from these officers. Since that time we have
learned that these individuals from DNR/DEP are no longer in our area or are
retired. We were hoping that the state would some how be able to enact tougher
laws, and means to reduce the incidents of littering, illegal dumping, so that
eventually through demonstration of how wonderful the area looked clean we would
be able to "retire" as well this portion of our program.
However, that as of this past legislative session does not appear to be in the
near future anytime soon. I am referring to the West Virginia Bottle Bill, that
would at best make EVERYONE's job a lot easier in the reduction of litter along
our roadways. Not just on it's own, however combined with the most recent WV
Anti-Litter laws, and active, aggressive enforcement, it would have been a win,
win situation the whole way around. In past years as I have mentioned we have
enjoyed our Adopt-A-Highway clean-ups, knowing that WE as everyday people and
citizens were trying to make a difference, to demonstrate, and educate the
practice of keeping our environment and roadways clean. However it takes
everyone's help to assure that it stays that way, including our state agencies
and legislature on enforcement issues..We were so hoping this year in a positive
manner thanks to the Bottle Bill, we would be able to begin seeing a reduction
in roadway litter. However as of this past this session it is not to be. It is
getting harder and harder to find volunteers to help keep our roadway segment
clean, people and area residents saying the same that the state needs to get
with it and enforce the laws and patrol the recreational areas and portions of
our scenic roadways within our watersheds...This year we will be "squeaking by"
with only 20 participants, 14 of which kindly and thankfully will be our local
Girl Scout Troop. It is important that our youth learn not to throw trash
outside car windows, and the over all concept of not littering. However it is a
terrible lesson to learn of Adults Breaking the laws and littering non-chalantly,
while state and government officials they look toward as their peers will do
nothing to prevent littering, other than "allowing them to clean up after the
violators" . With all this in mind, we will be conducting only one
Adopt-A-Highway clean-up session this year out of our usual 2-3. The state of
West Virginia and its businesses must learn they are responsible as well in
keeping our beautiful state clean by preventing post consumer waste to
accumulate in such a filthy, and offensive manner. West Virginia needs a Bottle
Bill, since residents and others seem to be unable to understand or comprehend
responsibility; as well as all other measures of prevention initiated that seem
to be failing (i.e. education, litter law enforcement). We will be closely
watching the next legislative session to see if our Legislators change their
minds. This will definitely make a difference in our decision to continue on
with our part of the effort or whether this will be our final and last cleanup.
It isn't that we mind picking up the odd can or two, however when it comes to an
annual free full trash removal service some changes are definitely in order.
We would also like to Thank You, for all the years past of great working
partnerships, newsletters, pins, and other wonderful services you have provided
for us when we first began our project until now. Most importantly for the
terrific effort in maintaining the Adopt-A-Highway Program to help keep our
roadways and by-ways clean.
Sincerely,
Sherry A. Evasic,
President
Blue Heron Environmental Network Inc.
512 Paxton Cut Drive
Hedgesville WV 25427
(304) 754-8717 bluheron7@earthlink.net
April 20, 2007
Ms. Anna Shahan,
State Coordinator,
Adopt-A-Highway Program,
Department of Environmental Protection
601 57th Street
Charleston, WV 25304
Dear Ms. Shahan:
This is to advise you that the Adopt-A-Highway group, Keyes Ferry Acres
Citizens, Inc. (Jefferson County), will not be participating in the April 28,
2007 Spring Cleanup. We are protesting the failure of the state legislature to
pass a Bottle Bill. Governor Manchin was not supportive of this legislation
either, and consequently--for the fifth year in a row--the Bottle Bill, was not
even given a fair hearing by the legislators.
A recent survey of Adopt-A-Highway groups revealed that anywhere from 40 to 80
percent of the trash these groups pick up consists of glass, aluminum, and
plastic beverage containers. If we had a Bottle Bill in place, more than half of
this litter would not be thrown out--beverage containers would not be casually
thrown out the window if the containers had a monetary value.
We are tired of mucking about with snakes, poison ivy, careless drivers,
sunburn, used baby diapers, syringes, meth lab detritus, beer cans, water
containers, and bottles, and more bottles (some full of human waste) only to be
told that the one measure, the Bottle Bill, that could reduce this litter is not
politically feasible. Eleven states have a bottle bill in place. No state has
repealed its bottle bill, and some are expanding the coverage of their bottle
bills. And where is West Virginia? Tourists visiting West Virginia say,
“Beautiful country. What a shame its citizens, and their political leadership
have so little regard for that beauty.”
Our group will be reviewing its options in coming months: remain in the
Adopt-A-Highway program or terminate completely its affiliation. I hope you pass
this letter on to the Governor so that he can understand that the troops are not
happy. And I hope you do not interpret this work stoppage as a criticism of your
management of the Adopt-A-Highway program. You have always been an efficient and
effective manager of the program.
Sincerely,
Carl Schultz
Team Leader,
Keyes Ferry Acres Citizens, Inc.
Adopt-A-Highway Group
February 2007 Column in Spirit of Jefferson
Keep Jefferson Beautiful, Inc.
By Carl Schulz
Bottle Bill and Adopt-A-Highway Program
One of our delegates to the state legislature was recently quoted as saying that
the proposal to place a ten cent redeemable deposit on beverage containers (the
Bottle Bill) has little hope of passing in this year’s legislative session.
Until one of our neighboring states passes a bottle bill, West Virginia is
unlikely to lead the way. Some Adopt-A-Highway groups, observing how the bottle
bill proposal dies every legislative session, have proposed going on strike
until a bottle bill is passed.
But who needs these volunteer groups anyway? Governor Manchin apparently does.
He recently said, “With studies showing that 98 percent of overnight guests
travel to their destination in West Virginia using our highways and with vehicle
traffic on our highways increasing more than 20 percent during the ‘90s, it is
truly vital to keep our roads clean so that our majestic beauty can make a
lasting impression on our visitors, not images of litter….Consider that just
this spring [2006] Adopt-A-Highway volunteers picked up 946,652 pounds of litter
from our roadsides. Since 1988, volunteers are responsible for the removal of
more than 10 million tons of roadside litter….”
If we could get a bottle bill passed, the amount of roadside litter would be cut
by more than half. Then government bureaucracies and solid waste authorities
that have full time employees would be able to do the job and put the volunteers
out of business. It is an interesting idea to have the Adopt-A-Highway
volunteers go on strike until the legislature and the state get serious about
the litter and trash that mars the “majestic beauty” of West Virginia. Imagine!
Ten miIlion tons of roadside litter!! If “…it is truly vital to keep our roads
clean so that our majestic beauty can make a lasting impression on our
visitors…,” maybe it’s time to stop relying on church groups, boy scout troops,
and citizens associations to do work the state should be funding through the
application of revenues derived from the Bottle Bill. Let us know what your
opinion is on a proposed strike.
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