Governor’s anti-litter task force plans to clean up Calcasieu

Lake Charles, LA (KPLC) - You can barely go one block in Southwest Louisiana without spotting some kind of litter. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell the difference between hurricane debris and trash, because people dump all kinds of stuff along local roadways. Now, there are efforts to try to do something about it.

The initiative is part of Governor Jon Bel Edwards’ “Litter Abatement and Beautification” task force. Its main focus is to address the debris that ends up in roadways and wetlands.

This week, state officials met to discuss plans for the task force; a plan of action is set to be finished in July.

We spoke with Calcasieu Litter Manager Wyvette Pryor-Cousin, who told us the parish is looking forward to tackling a problem that continues to plague the area.

“It helps me to see that he is taking things seriously, the state of Louisiana is taking it seriously, and that you know, this kind of behavior as far as littering, dumping, those kinds of things are not going to be tolerated,” Pryor-Cousin said.

Littering was an issue before the hurricane, but she said it’s only worsened since then.

“Places like Nelson Road boat launch are one of those places I like to throw out there, because as soon as we get it clean, others come and dump things,” Pryor-Cousin said. “So, we see there are certain hot spots if you will, where people continue to see that the area is cleaned up, they go back and they dump there.”

Pryor-Cousin adds, they’ve seen an increase in items being littered such as tires, masks and plastic products. But she said they are taking necessary steps to curb it with help from the sheriff’s office and Wards Three and Four Marshal’s office.

“In the event we find identifying evidence or are able to identity who is doing it, they’re able to assist us in going after them, you know, filing charges or those sorts of things,” Pryor-Cousin said “They are even able to help us by putting out cameras so that we can surveillance the area.”

She urges the public to report littering at Pickitupcalcasieu.com or by calling 337-493-5487.

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