There’s one major complaint that is heard from both residents and visitors about Pearl River County, the abundance of litter.

Folks who live along our streets and highways deal with this issue regularly, forced to pick up trash others have tossed if they want their property to look its best. Those who live in more rural areas contend with piles of trash in the form of illegal dumping.

The culprits are not necessarily malicious. They are simply ignorant of the harm they are doing to our county by tarnishing the beauty we should be enjoying.

There are two methods we can utilize to begin to solve this problem; one is to participate in organized cleanup events, the second is to address the problem at the source.

Today, community members from across Pearl River County became part of the first method by participating in a countywide effort to put litter in its place.

This worthwhile endeavor helps make our county cleaner, at least for a time. It will also make the city of Picayune more attractive as Picayune Main Street prepares to hold its annual Street Festival next weekend, an event that draws thousands to our area. We certainly want to impress our Festival goers so they will want to return or perhaps become residents.

If, for some reason, you missed the organized effort, you can still do your part by picking up trash near your home or business.

As part of the second phase of this effort, we can all help fight our local litter problem by educating the litterbugs in our lives. By informing them of the harm litter does not only to the environment, but to the natural beauty of our area of South Mississippi, a permanent solution can be reached. And hopefully, one day, there will no longer be a need for countywide cleanup events.