HANGING ROCK — A portion of County Road 1A may start looking brighter, thanks to the efforts of Rumpke Recycling.

That’s because Rumpke has taken over that stretch of highway as part of the Lawrence-Scioto County Solid Waste District’s Sponsor-A-Site.

“We have been trying to get someone to take care of that,” Dan Palmer of the district, said. “It is highly littered.”

The Sponsor-A-Site program, where civic groups or businesses agree to pick up litter on a monthly basis at a designated roadway, has been in existence since 2007.

“We will supply the bags, gloves and ad signage for the initial stop,” Palmer said.

There are 22 sponsors in Lawrence County and 12 in Scioto County.

Much of the litter problem on County Road 1A comes from trucks traveling through the area without tarps covering the loads they are carrying. That is in direct violation of Ohio Revised Code 4513.31 that states all loads are to be properly secured.

Recently the district’s enforcement officer cited two trucks on that highway for not having tarps. The drivers were given a written warning.

“If I would happen to pull that person over again, they would get a written citation,” Steve Hileman of the district said. “They would have to appear in court for having an unsecured load. I will be out and about. All loads must be secured.”

Anyone interested in sponsoring a site, may contact Palmer at (740) 532-1231.

“You can choose the area,” he said. “We would be more than happy to have you on board.”