Dan Palmer might be obsessed with keeping things clean, but that is a good thing when it comes to Lawrence County.

Palmer, the director of the Lawrence–Scioto Solid Waste Management District, continues to do an excellent job of cleaning up Lawrence County by taking a multi-tiered approach to a long-standing problem.

The district continues to promote recycling and education efforts, work that appears to be paying off after setting a record for recycling efforts in June: a whopping 186 tons.

But they also are working hard on litter enforcement, trash disposal violations and cracking down on other types of illegal dumping.

The district has begun using surveillance cameras to catch violates who ignore signage and dispose of their garbage at the recycling dumpsters.

These efforts come on the heels of the countywide cleanup the district organized earlier this year. In its inaugural year, the event attracted more than 1,000 volunteers and helped make the county shine from one end to the other.

Much of the funding for this program comes from the $12 per year that property owners pay on their taxes.

That is clearly money well spent as Palmer and his staff continue to work hard to make a difference in the community and in our lives.

For this $12, residents can see a tremendous return on their investment.

Many times, split agencies that focus on more than one county seem to forget about Lawrence County and favor other regions.

That certainly isn’t the case here.

The Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste District is doing its job and Palmer deserves a lot the credit for doing his job well.