New Summer initiative announced by Palmetto State leaders this week
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson, S.C. Lt. Governor Pamela Evette, S.C. Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) Director Tom Mullikin, and other state leaders stood on the north steps of the S.C. State House, Monday, and announced a zero-tolerance anti-litter initiative aimed at combating litter across the Palmetto State.
In his opening remarks. Director Mullikin was emphatic in his remarks that litter and littering will no longer be tolerated. “Litter prevention is not just an environmental issue,” he said. “it’s a public safety and economic priority.”
Mullikin, long a champion of preserving the pristine beauty of South Carolina and the broader natural world (much of which he has led expeditions across), later added: “This new initiative is a natural resources preservation imperative, not to mention an effective means by which we will tangibly enhance the existing natural aesthetics of our state.”
Lt. Governor Evette agrees, adding that South Carolina will enforce local and state litter laws as well as educate the public.
“This is my seventh year working with PalmettoPride, and the impact stemming from their work is vitally important,” said Evette. “People travel and they want to see a clean state.”
According to Evette, “Keeping trash off the roads is an economic development issue. My message to South Carolinians and to everyone visiting South Carolina: Everything you bring to the beach, please take off the beach when you leave.”
Evette added: “Let’s help tourism prosper and stimulate an amazing sense of pride in our state.”
Zero Tolerance for Litter is a joint initiative by PalmettoPride and the South Carolina Litter Control Association, collaborating with SCDNR and its law-enforcement arm, other law enforcement agencies, and the Lt. Governor’s office. The campaign was and is timed with the beginning of the summer travel and tourism season and the National Secure Your Load Day, Friday, June 6. According to a statement released by SCDNR, “An estimated 20-percent of roadside litter comes from unsecured highway loads [on vehicles], highlighting the need for public education and stricter enforcement.”
Throughout the month of June, state and local law enforcement agencies will increase enforcement of litter laws while also engaging the public in awareness and prevention efforts.
Among those gathered with Director Mullikin, Lt. Gov. Evette, and Congressman Wilson were senior representatives from the S.C. Department of Public Safety, the S.C. Department of Transportation, the S.C. Sheriffs’ Association, the S.C. Litter Control Association, and PalmettoPride.
For more information on the campaign or to get involved, visit www.palmettopride.org.
– Pictured (L-R) Samuel H. Ford, Palmetto Pride; Sally Foster, S.C. Sheriff’s Association; Captain Stephen Holmes, S.C. Department of Public Safety; Sarah Lyles, PalmettoPride; S.C. Lt. Governor Pamela Evette, SCDNR Director Tom Mullikin; Andrew Leaphart, S.C. Department of Transportation; and U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson.
