Columbus is cracking down on litter along State Route 104 and part of I-270, two major routes for commercial haulers taking trash out of the city.
Columbus Police are keeping an eye out for trucks moving uncovered loads of garbage on the routes. Mayor Andrew Ginther set aside $25,000 in the city budget for the targeted enforcement that began earlier this month.
“You know, we’re trying to change behavior,” said Columbus Refuse Administrator Tim Swauger.
Swauger said he’s seen many repeat offenders who let litter blow out of uncovered trucks, especially along SR 104. He hopes citing them will make them start covering their loads, which is required.
Columbus police will be doing the special enforcement intermittently throughout the rest of the year, so haulers never know when they’ll be out there.
Swauger said that litter is “100% preventable.”
“Every piece of litter, you know, if we cover our tarps, if we don't throw trash up, it's something that we as humans can stop entirely,” Swauger said.
Swauger added that the highways are often the first place visitors see on their way into the city, and it’s important for them to be clean.
"It's something that we as humans can stop entirely."- Columbus Refuse Administrator Tim Swauger
CPD and the city Division of Refuse Collection first did targeted enforcement aimed at reducing litter last fall. They issued 88 load citations and 32 moving violations. While doing those patrols, police also found three stolen vehicles and issued 142 warnings.
Other organizations are joining the effort to take out the trash.
As of January, the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio started fining haulers $25 if they arrive at a transfer station with uncovered loads.
Grove City is stepping up enforcement on I-71 near the landfill.
To tackle the trash that's already out there, major haulers committed to taking turns cleaning up SR 104 from U.S. 33 to I-71. Waste Management, Republic Local Waste Services, Rumpke Trash and Recycling and the City of Columbus will each take a month.
Swauger said those groups were chosen because they’re major haulers, even though they are not the ones who typically cause the problems.
“They have the screens. They have the tarps. They're doing the right thing,” Swauger said. “They've stepped up to the plate because they think it reflects poorly on the industry.”
Swauger reminded residents using haulers to clean out their houses to make sure they choose reputable companies.
“If they're overly cheap or overly, you know, it doesn't seem realistic that probably they aren't doing the right things,” Swauger said.
Swauger said Columbus will continue to look for areas that are heavily littered and will consider doing targeted enforcement in those place in the future.
Columbus is also trying out pollinator gardens at State Route 315 and Ackerman Road and on State Route 104 near Alum Creek. The wildflower areas will only need to be mowed once a year, reducing costs and emissions, and will be beneficial to pollinators.
Swauger hopes the areas will also help with litter cleanup.
"It's designed so that the edges of the pollinator areas grow really thick," Swauger said. "What that does is it captures the litter all in one spot so it doesn't get strewn all throughout the grassy area."
Keep Columbus Beautiful introduced the idea for the pollinator program. The areas will have signs explaining their purpose so passersby don't think they're just patches of unmowed grass.
Swauger said if those areas are successful, the city will likely add more in the coming years.
