Shelby County mayor deplores pick-up costs for litterbugs

no-littering-small-webCounty trash crews picked up 43 tons of garbage tossed along roads last month in the unincorporated areas and those bordering Shelby Farms.

“Every dollar used for litter could have been spent on other pressing citizen needs. Still, we’re committed to improve the appearance of Shelby County to retain and attract residents and businesses,” said Shelby County Mayor Mark H. Luttrell Jr.

Road crews include workers from Shelby County Public Works, inmates from the Shelby County Division of Corrections and court-ordered offenders supervised by Clean Memphis. The crews patrol areas near Millington, Wood-stock, Northaven, southeast Shelby County, northeast Shelby County and Cordova.

They pick up trash Monday through Friday, with additional D.U.I. offenders working on Mondays and Saturdays.

The roads with the most roadside debris were Raleigh Millington Road and the intersection of Crumpler and Holmes.

The landfill costs for September’s 43 tons of trash was $1,256. The crew logged 1,138 hours and traveled 416 miles to complete the work.

Offenders should know they may not get off scot-free: Crews will note addresses on discarded envelopes, magazines and other documents that could identify the offenders. The County also has hidden cameras in the unincorporated neighborhoods.

To file a roadside litter complaint in the unincorporated areas, citizens may call the Shelby County Mayor’s Action Center at (901) 222-2300 or send an email via the shelbycountytn.gov site under “Report a Concern.”