Greensboro Transportation Crews Battle Litter 

Greensboro Department of Transportation crews are collecting ever-increasing amounts of litter along city streets and right-of-ways. In the one-year period from June 1999 through June 2000, litter crews collected over 100,000 pounds of litter by hand.

"When you consider that the average family disposes of about 100 pounds of trash each week, you realize the magnitude of 100,000 pounds of litter," notes Transportation Street Cleaning Supervisor, James Steber. "Each year, our roadways and streets have higher accumulations of litter than the year before."

Transportation department officials are hoping this information will reach Greensboro residents and discourage them from littering throughout the community. The department dedicates five full-time employees to collecting litter as well as temporary employees when possible, but says that is still not enough to deal with the growing problem.

"We’re working to make our streets cleaner because we realize that clean streets create a positive image for Greensboro," states Steber. "Citizens can help with this effort by participating in the city’s Adopt-A-Street program, in which they commit to cleaning sections of streets at least four times a year."

For more information on the Adopt-A-Street program, call 373-2375. Interested citizens may also attend a Clean Community Forum sponsored by Greensboro Beautiful, the City of Greensboro and Guilford County on February 8 from 8:30 am-4 pm to learn more about litter and how to prevent it. For information on the forum, call 373-2199.