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Friday, March 29, 2024

Volunteers, staff collect over 144,000 pounds of litter in Marion County during September

Volunteers and staff collected over 144,000 pounds of litter throughout Marion County during September.

The figures were part of the monthly Solid Waste Operations report sent to the Marion County Board of County Commissioners last month. That report will be presented during the commission’s upcoming meeting on Tuesday morning.

The report shows that during September, just over 93,000 pounds of litter was collected by community service workers, while a little over 48,000 pounds was collected by county staff, contract employees, and mow/litter specialists. Inmates collected 2,500 pounds of litter during the month.

According to the report, code enforcement officers conducted 30 investigations during the month of September. The officers issued two civil fines, each for $68, for illegal dumping of waste weighing less than 15 pounds.

Code officers routinely provide spot checks at all recycling centers across the county to verify users are not commercial businesses, are not living outside of Marion County, and are not disposing of inappropriate types of refuse.

The report indicates that recycling centers across the county collected over 642,000 pounds of furniture, and 166,000 pounds of electronic waste and tires.

The Marion County Litter Task force held its first official meeting last month, and will hold its next meeting today, November 1. The force is tasked with developing a solution to combat the county’s litter woes.

For more information or updates, visit the Marion County Litter Task Force website. To share your opinions about litter in the county, visit the Marion County Litter Task Force Litter Survey.