It seems fitting that a company that specializes in handling our trash has signed on to help pick up a little more of that waste along the roadsides of our community.

Rumpke Recycling has adopted a portion of County Road 1A as part of the Lawrence-Scioto County Solid Waste District’s Sponsor-A-Site, the program where civic groups or businesses agree to pick up litter on a monthly basis at a designated roadway.

In existence since 2007, the program has 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.

Although the district has cranked up enforcement of those violating this law, we would like to see area law enforcement do the same.

Treating the “disease” by addressing offenders would be far more effective that simply addressing the “symptoms” by cleaning up the mess after the fact.

We applaud Rumpke for rising to the challenge to clean up this highly-travelled roadway and we applaud the solid waste district for administering the program. For this both are recognized as this week’s “Good News, Good Neighbors” spotlight.

Getting more businesses involved with beautification and cleanup efforts will go a long way toward keeping Lawrence County appealing and poised for growth.