Dr. Karen Bell
Keep Liberty Beautiful
Georgia’s coast is one of our greatest treasures.
From the Atlantic Ocean and tidal creeks to rivers, ponds, marshes, and streams, our waterways provide beauty, recreation, and habitat for an incredible variety of wildlife. But one small piece of litter can have a big impact, which are cigarette butts.
The Georgia’s Coast Is Not An Ashtray campaign, a collaborative effort involving seven coastal communities, has been extended through the end of September.
However, the end of the campaign does not mean the end of the effort. Here in Liberty County, Keep Liberty Beautiful (KLB) is taking what we have learned and turning it into a year-round initiative called Liberty County Proud and Beautiful.
Lea King-Badyna, director of Keep Golden Isles Beautiful, led the coastal campaign with a joint task force representing participating coastal counties. Together, these communities came together to address the nation’s most littered item: cigarette butts.
Cigarette litter is easy to overlook because of its size. But when you consider how many cigarette butts are discarded every day, those little pieces of plastic add up to a tremendous environmental problem.
And cigarette butts are not simply harmless pieces of paper. Most cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate, a type of plastic, and they do not readily biodegrade. When cigarette butts are thrown on the ground, wildlife can mistake them for food. When wind or rain sweeps them into storm drains, ditches, and waterways, they can eventually become marine debris. Those discarded filters can also retain toxic chemicals from cigarettes and release them into the surrounding environment.
That is why KLB created the Liberty County Proud and Beautiful program. The goal is simple: increase awareness of cigarette litter and reduce the number of cigarette butts being discarded throughout Liberty County and Fort Stewart. KLB is fortunate to have an outstanding group of community partners supporting these efforts, including the Keep Liberty Beautiful Advisory Board, Liberty County Board of Commissioners, Liberty County Road & Solid Waste Department, Liberty County Convention & Visitors Bureau, municipalities throughout Liberty County, Fort Stewart, and the Liberty County Chamber of Commerce.
Keeping Liberty County beautiful is not something one organization can accomplish alone. It takes businesses, residents, community organizations, volunteers and local governments working together. Every cigarette butt that doesn’t end up on the ground or in a storm drain is a small victory for our community As part of Liberty County Proud and Beautiful, KLB is offering free cigarette waste receptacles, while supplies last.
Businesses can request either a stand-alone receptacle or a wall- or pole-mounted receptacle.
KLB also will provide educational signage for cigarette waste receptacles and critical locations, along with pocket and car cigarette-butt containers.
KLB is also looking for volunteers to join the No Butts About It Squad.
Volunteers will visit participating businesses, help empty cigarette waste receptacles, and prepare the collected cigarette waste for recycling. Their motto says it all: “Kickin’ Butts – One Butt at a Time!”
Upcoming Keep Liberty Beautiful Events
Your State Parks Day will be held Saturday, September 26, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Fort Morris Historic Site, 2559 Fort Morris Road in Midway.
Come out and help spruce up this beautiful piece of Liberty County history.
KLB will host a Tire Amnesty Day on Saturday, October 24, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Liberty County Community Complex, 9397 East Oglethorpe Highway in Midway.
This is a great opportunity for residents to dispose of unwanted tires responsibly and help prevent illegal tire dumping.
Also on October 24, KLB will participate in Rivers Alive for Liberty County, which coincides with Make a Difference Day. Cleanup opportunities will take place throughout the community, with dates and locations to be announced on the KLB Facebook page and website.
Liberty County is a beautiful place, and we have so much to protect.
My hope is that Liberty County Proud and Beautiful becomes more than a program. I want it to become a community mindset. Together, we can make sure that our beautiful Georgia coast and Liberty County are never treated like an ashtray.
To learn more about Keep Liberty Beautiful, upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, or the Liberty County Proud and Beautiful cigarette litter prevention program, visit www. keeplibertybeautiful.org or contact KLB at (912) 880-4888 or klcb@libertycountyga. gov.