CONCEPT OF LOCAL LITTER CONTROL OFFICES AS PROPOSED BY PROJECT: LITTER CODE
Litter is defined by PROJECT: LITTER CODE, the Louisiana Dept. Of Environmental Quality Litter Task Force and the Jefferson Parish Litter Advisory Board has “any thing that adversely affects the appearance of the community, including but not limited to simple litter & trash; abandoned vehicles; illegal signs on public property, right-of-ways, medians and servitudes; illegal dumpsters; graffiti; high grass & weeds on private and public property, etc.”
Government officials tell us that adequate resources of money or manpower are not available to maintain public property free of litter thus defined. Historically, private efforts (clean-up campaigns) have not been adequate. They represent only an additional burden on taxpayers, and the results are short-lived; therefore, they have no meaningful, long-range benefit.
If the blighted conditions continue (and they do), if government is unable to cope with them on account of lack of funds, the solution is obvious:
ENFORCE LAWS AGAINST LITTER & VISUAL BLIGHT
WITHOUT INCURRING ADDITIONAL EXPENSE!
How is that possible? Through the use of volunteer citizen Litter Enforcement Officers, responsible persons who otherwise spend time, money and energy picking up trash, their own and others’, getting nowhere in the long run.
“CLEAN-UP CAMPAIGNS ARE A LOT LIKE EATING CHINESE FOOD:
30 MINUTES LATER, YOU HAVE TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN!”
PROJECT: LITTER CODE proposes a statewide network of Litter Control Offices using volunteer Litter Enforcement Officers, 1 for every 5,000 population.
In communities like New Orleans and Jefferson Parish, active enforcement of “The Litter Code” would generate upwards of $1,850,000 and $850,000 respectively. Statewide operations would produce approximately $20,000,000 of revenues from fines......without new taxes or service charges!
This is the concept. Please give it your support.
PROJECT: LITTER CODE ~ P. O. Box 333 ~ Metairie, LA 70004 ~ 504/467-6659 phone/fax
Abelardo J. Massa, Director
E-mail: LitterCode@juno.com
