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Litter's never-ending life cycle
Keep Liberty Beautiful
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One of the most frustrating parts of litter cleanups is knowing that in a few days the area that you worked so hard to clean up may be "decorated" with new litter.
It is frustrating but is also a reminder that the Litter Wars can only be won by attacking litter from three continuous fronts: frequent and visible cleanups, a strong education and awareness effort, and enforcement of local litter laws.
We can make a difference but it won't be an instant win. We are now "growing" a generation of youngsters who will not litter and who recycle.  Our hope is that in the process that their less enlightened parents and other adult role models will join the ride with this "greener" generation as they take care of their world.
This week, Midway will have a cleanup on Wednesday from 9 a.m.-noon. We also have a cleanup scheduled in Walthourville on Saturday, May 31, from 8 a.m.-noon. We will provide lunch after each cleanup for all volunteers.
We need your help. Please join us and make a difference. Midway and Walthourville are both on busy highways with a tremendous amount of traffic. Unfortunately, some of those drivers leave a trail of litter.
Cleanups have a two-fold purpose. One is to get the litter off the ground.  The other is to take a stand against litter. As people drive by and see you -- local citizen or neighbor -- picking up the litter they tossed, it can have a significant impact on them. Community service workers picking up along roads will never make that same statement you can make.
Litter has a life of its own. Some types have an extremely long life, too, which makes them a particular hazard for our soil and water quality as well as the creatures -- including us -- who live in our world.
Take a look at the lifespan of the most common types of litter we find:
• Glass bottles can take up to 1,000,000 years to decompose. This is one of the reasons you should recycle and reuse glass items.
• Plastic soda and water bottles can take up to 650 years. These are also items that can easily be recycled.
• Aluminum take between 80 and 200 years to decompose. Tin cans take around 50 years. Once again, these items can be recycled easily.  We also save natural resources by recycling.
• Foam plastic cups, plates and other items take 50-80 years to decompose, if ever.  These items, like so much litter, can be mistaken for food by animals, making them sick and even killing them.
• Plastic bags can take 10-20 years to decompose. These bags don't have to be trashed. They can be reused or taken to back to stores to recycle. They have containers for them in their customer service areas.  You can also use reusable bags instead of them.
• Cigarette butts, my least favorite litter, that can take from one-five years to decompose. However, some types of cigarette filters can take over 20 years. Think about that the next time you start to flick that butt on the ground. Butts are also the most prevalent form of litter that we encounter.

Upcoming KLCB events:
Through May: Clean Community Challenge.  Challenge others to join you and your group in making our community as clean as possible. Call 368-4888 or email klcb@libertycountyga.com for information.
Through May: Return the Warmth Plastics Recycling Contest. Support students by recycling your plastic bottles. Keep those plastics (PET #1 and #2) coming! We can collect plastics for this project at our recycling drop off centers.
May 21: Midway Cleanup 9 a.m.-noon. Meet at the city hall. Supplies and lunch will be provided. Call KLCB at 368-4888 or 884-3344.
May 31: Walthourville Cleanup 8 a.m.-noon. A cleanup around the Highway 119 and Tibet Road crossroads is in the works. To participate, call 368-4888 or the city hall at 368-7501.
Fall: Liberty County, Home of the World's Largest Crayon. To help, call 368-4888, email biglibertycrayon@yahoo.com or ask any KLCB Council member. We need used crayons for recycling.

For more information on KLCB, call Swida at 368-4888 or email klcb@libertycountyga.com.
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Visit with children a real eye-opener
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One of my favorite activities as a state senator is when I get to speak to students at our local schools. This year, I spoke to third-grade students at May Howard Elementary and Marshpoint Elementary in Chatham County and Button Gwinnett Elementary in Liberty County.
The students from each of the schools had been studying civics and were familiar with the three branches of government — executive, judicial and legislative. I explained my role as a senator in the legislative process and told the children how the citizen legislature in the state of Georgia works.
Presenting each of the schools with a Georgia state flag, I explained the three principles for which the state flag stands — wisdom, justice and moderation — and had them recite the pledge to the flag with me. 
The students at all three schools were bright, respectful and well-disciplined — a tribute to their families and especially to their teachers, who had prepared the students for my visit with ideas for great questions.
The students in Ms. Hutchinson’s class at Marshpoint Elementary were impressive in singing the preamble to the Constitution during my visit. What a great way to learn such an important part of our nation’s history — another wonderful example of the great job our teachers are doing.
I was delighted last week to receive thank-you letters from some of the students. Here are excerpts from a few of their letters:
 
Dear Mr. Carter,
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come speak to us. I learned so much! I learned that there are two kinds of Pledge of Allegiances. That is pretty cool.
Do you travel all over the world do you? I really like that you taught me more about the three branches of government.
— Megan
 
Dear Sen. Carter,
Thank you for telling us about your job and your favorite thing about your job. I liked the Georgia state flag. I still have more questions. Do you have to work on Saturday and Sunday? Are you the only one who makes the laws?
Yours truly,
Ryleigh 


Dear Sen. Buddy Carter,
Thank you for coming and letting us have a little bit of your time. I want you to know that I learned something new. The Georgia pledge! Justice, wisdom and modesty! Thanks again!
— Liam
 
Dear Sen. Buddy Carter,
Thank you for coming and helping us learn more about the government and some of your job. Thank you for giving us a Georgia flag. It was fun when you came. Thank you for giving us some questions so we could answer them.
P.S. Did you ride in a limousine? I was going to ask you a question but then I forgot. But now I remember. How many rooms are there where you work? You can send me a note if you can.
Your friend,
Erin
 
I’m uncertain whether the students learned as much from me during my visit as I learned from them. One thing that I was reminded of was the honesty that comes from the innocence of childhood. I wasn’t quite sure how to interpret some of the questions, such as the one asked in this letter:
 
Dear Sen. Carter,
I loved your speech. Thanks for coming to our school. I think my favorite part was when we held the flag. It was so fun! I have a question: How many people voted for you?
Sincerely,
Shelly
 
I also was more than a little concerned about a recurring question in the thank-you notes that was posed to me during one of my visits by a beautiful, brown-eyed girl who, with a very serious look on her face, asked “Did you ever get re-elected be-fore?”


What a great group of young people! My faith and hope in our future has been reassured. What an amazing job our families and teachers are doing on a daily basis to support and encourage our next generation. Thank you for your dedication to teaching our leaders of tomor-row.

Sen. Buddy Carter can be reached at Coverdell Legislative Office Building (C.L.O.B.) Room 301-A, Atlanta, GA, 30334. His Capitol office number is 404-656-5109

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