Second Round of Litter Pickup Begins on State Highways

For several years the county has received an annual litter grant from the state to compensate the sheriff’s department for providing roadside pickup of litter on county roads using inmate labor. This year, the state has also provided grant funds for litter pickup on state roads in DeKalb County.
The second round of litter pickup has begun .
“We have started our second round of litter pickup on our state roads. The mowers are supposed to be here July 18. You’ll see our correctional officers out with our inmates. We ask everybody to use caution when they see our orange signs with flags on them which say “inmates are working up ahead picking up litter”. We ask everyone to slow down and pay attention. There could be inmates on both sides of the road or just one side of the road. We just ask everybody to be aware and slow down,” said Sheriff Patrick Ray.
The first round of the litter pickup on state roads was conducted in the spring after the state grant was awarded.
“In April we were able to get an additional grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation where we can pick up litter on state roadways here in our county,” said Sheriff Ray. “The grant pays for three cycles of litter pickup each year with an optional fourth cycle if needed and the grant awarded us enough money that we could hire a full time employee and use him for other things when he is not picking up trash out in the county. We can use him to help non profit organizations such as food pantries, the fair, the Jamboree, and other things that are non profit. We help some of our local churches do things and take care of cemeteries that have been abandoned. It opens up more opportunities for us to get out in our community and help people,” he said.
This grant covers over 100 miles of listed state roadways. These roads are Sparta Highway, Nashville Highway, Cookeville Highway, McMinnville Highway, Keltonburg Road, Antioch Road, Belk Road, New Home Road, Short Mountain Highway, Murfreesboro Highway, Dale Ridge Road, Wolf Creek Road, Medley Amonett Road, Temperance Hall Road, and Lancaster Highway. We are using inmate labor to pick up the trash on the state roads just like we do with our county roads litter grant program. We already have a separate contract for county roads that we’ve had for many years,” he said.
Sheriff Ray offers some safety tips for motorists who may approach these litter pickup work zones. These simple tips could save your life or the life of a worker in one of the litter zones.
*Always think orange. When you see orange signs, cones, or barrels, expect a roadside work zone ahead.
*Stay alert. Look for narrow driving lanes and highway workers ahead.
*Pay attention. Work zone signs will tell you exactly what to expect ahead.
*Don’t follow too closely. Maintain a safe distance on all sides of your vehicle.
*Minimize distractions. Drivers should keep their eyes on the roadway especially in a work zone.
*Do not talk on a cell phone or adjust your radio while in one of these zones.
*Slow down. You may encounter slowed or stopped traffic in an instant or encounter workers on or beside of the roadway.
You will know you are entering into a litter pickup zone when you see orange signs that say “Litter Pickup Ahead”.