Roadsides in Stafford and Fredericksburg are being cleaned more frequently, thanks to the innovative efforts of staff, volunteers and a regional partnership.   

From July 1, 2006 to June 30, 2007, Stafford roads were cleaned 143 more times than during the same period one year earlier, a 45 percent increase. The frequent cleanings have resulted in a 53 percent increase in the amount of trash being collected. From July 1, 2006 until June 30, 2007, the amount of litter cleaned from roadsides totaled 648,137 pounds.

“Litter cleanup must be consistent to be effective,” said Diane Jones, Stafford’s Litter Prevention and Recycling Coordinator. “As this happens, the amount of trash collected is expected to go down since there won’t be as much time for it to accumulate as it did when cleanups were not as frequent as they are today.”

Stafford’s Litter Prevention and Recycling Office coordinates several cleanups, such as Make A Difference Day, throughout the year. Office staff also work with volunteers who serve on the Stafford County Beautification Committee. These volunteers are appointed by the Board of Supervisors. The Beautification Committee’s initiatives include Adopt-a-Spot and Keep It Neat to the Street. Adopt-a-Spot is similar to the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Adopt-a-Highway program in that specific locations are adopted by individuals and organizations that  commit to keeping that area clean for a two-year period. Keep It Neat to the Street is a campaign that began last year with a request to businesses that prepare and sell food to keep their grounds free of wrappers and packaging. The Beautification Committee also helps with planned litter cleanups and environmental education efforts throughout the community.

Another contributor to Stafford’s cleanup efforts is the Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste Management Board, or the R-Board. The R-Board’s leadership includes Stafford Supervisors Pete Fields and Paul Milde, and Fredericksburg City Council members Marvin Dixon and Matt Kelly. Although charged with operating the Regional Landfill and the Belman Road Recycling Center in Fredericksburg, the R-Board supports litter cleanups in both Stafford and Fredericksburg.

The R-Board has placed a special emphasis on keeping the roadsides leading to the Regional Landfill free of litter. R-Board members realized that these roads tend to become littered more often than others from trash and other items that fall off of vehicles going to the landfill. To help combat this problem, the R-Board and the Rappahannock Regional Jail formed a unique partnership this past April. The R-Board pays for a guard from the jail to oversee an inmate crew who cleans roads in Stafford and Fredericksburg each week. Since the R-Board pays the guard, the crews focus on cleaning the roads leading to the landfill. To help educate drivers, the R-Board has also placed signs in and around the landfill urging them to secure their loads or they could face fines for allowing items to fly out of their vehicles while on the road.

Also assisting with the cleanup in that area is the R-Board’s own two-person litter crew. The team focuses on keeping the roadsides leading to the Regional Landfill free of litter. They also monitor and clean the roadsides leading to the Belman Road Recycling Center in Fredericksburg. The R-Board received $75,000 in its FY08 budget and the County received $25,000 in its budget to fund these two positions. An additional two-person litter crew from the Stafford Office of Recycling and Litter Prevention also cleans roadsides on a daily basis throughout Stafford.

For more information on litter cleanups, the R-Board, or the Beautification Committee, please contact the Stafford Office of Recycling and Litter Prevention at (540) 658-4879, or visit the R-Board’s Web site at www.r-board.org. Click on the Departments menu on the left side of the page and then click on the Recycling, Litter Prevention and Landfill link.

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