By Paris Payne and Jyesha Johnson
Broadcast journalism students
ptpayne@go.olemiss.edu, jkjohns6@go.olemiss.edu
Keeping Oxford clean is a big concern for the Oxford Police Department. They are launching an anti-littering campaign to make sure it happens.
OPD thinks it’s time to crack down on littering. They launched a campaign Wednesday to shed light on the problem after gathering 12,000 pounds of litter over the past six months.
“We hope that it raises awareness that we want to keep our city beautiful,” OPD Captain Hildom Sessums said. “(It’s the) same thing with the Ole Miss campus.”
In efforts to keep Oxford clean, the campaign will bring more law enforcement in to educate on littering.
Officials say most of the litter they have seen is the result of debris blowing off the back of trucks. Although this does not cause any type of car accident, OPD wants people to pick up anything that may have come from their vehicle.
“Our goal is to never ticket or cite anybody,” Sessums said. “We hope everybody does the right thing but that’s not always the case.”
According to Sessums, Highway 6 and Highway 7 are two of the most commonly littered areas. If caught in the act, violators could face up to $500 in fines.
“It may be petty to some, but one bottle, one can, they can add up to 2,000 pounds on the side of the road,” he said.
In addition to Sessums, Ole Miss student Emory Booth said he also believes enforcing the anti-littering campaign is important.
“Most places in America need a litter campaign, honestly,” Booth said.
According to Credit Donkey, nearly half of Americans admit to littering. Approximately 43 percent of people in the United States have littered at least once.
Oxford Police Department said that citizens can look forward to increased details for litter pickup within the next few weeks. They also want to remind everyone to keep Oxford clean.