Resident makes statement by leaving litter hanging in trees

Sharon Angelos, front, and Nikki Sarka, back, want to give a thumbs up to whomever made a statement by hanging bags of litter from a tree on Piper Road. Angelos and Sarka are disgusted by the amount of litter people throw out along Piper and Mount Calvary Road.

Nikki Sarka and Sharon Angelos give two thumbs up to whomever made a statement this week by hanging bags full of litter from a tree on Piper Road.

The person also left a sign propped against the tree reading, "Stop throwing out trash." Sarka and Angelos say they couldn't have said it better themselves. They, too, are tired of seeing empty bottles and cans, fast-food wrappers, cigarette packs and more line Piper Road and Mount Calvary Road where they live.

They do what they can to collect the litter and dispose of it properly, but once it's picked up, more is tossed out.

Sarka and Angelos said it's distressing to them because it appears people just don't care enough about their community to refrain from littering and because there is an Aiken County convenience center close by.

"It's not far. That's why I don't understand people doing it because it's just around the corner," Sarka said.

Angelos estimates she has filled 500 trash bags full of litter in 21âÑ2 years. She owns a car restoration business in the area and believes the sight of garbage littering the roadways does not make a good impression on her customers.

"It's embarrassing for me because I have some high clientele. The trash makes it look junky," Angelos said.

Aiken County Solid Waste coordinates litter control. Currently, there is one litter collector and three litter enforcement officers whose responsibilities include responding to complaints from citizens regarding potential violations of litter laws, monitoring the convenience centers for illegal dumping, and issuing tickets and warnings as necessary.

Chief Litter Officer Craig McBride said citizens are welcome to call Solid Waste to report a problem so he can dispatch a cleanup crew.

"We need to be there like the Indian with the tear," Sarka said.

In 1971, Keep America Beautiful launched a now-iconic commercial featuring Iron Eyes Cody. As he watched litter being thrown from a car, a single tear rolled down his cheek.

The narration was, "People start pollution. People can stop it."

"It's sad when you live out in the country because you like the scenery, and there's trash everywhere," Sarka said.

To report a litter problem, call Aiken County Solid Waste at 642-1533.

Haley Hughes has spent five years as the Aiken County government reporter with the Aiken Standard. Hughes, a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University, hails from Knoxville, Tenn.