Normally, when governments say they are going to get tough on something, people don’t pay that much attention.

But Ironton residents should take note that the city is getting very serious about trash.

Mayor Katrina Keith said at Thursday’s city council meeting that the city is going to “attack” the trash problem around town.

The council and the mayor hear frequent complaints about issues like mattresses and other household being dumped in alleys, overgrown grass and people leaving junk in their yards. Those all create an eyesore on the community.

Keith pointed out that, over the next few weeks, the city will have dumpsters so residents can get rid of household items. The Lawrence Scioto Solid Waste Management District will be having events where people can get rid of hard to dispose of items like old television sets and tires.

She encouraged people to take advantage of these free services because, after those events end, the next phase of the attack plan is accountability. City crews will be out looking for trash on people’s properties and if they find it, the property owner will get a warning.

If the issue isn’t taken care of, the property owner will be cited into Ironton Municipal Court.

We commend this course of action.

With so many groups cleaning up Ironton and Lawrence County trying to make our area look better, and with the free events to get rid of trash, there is no good excuse for Irontonians to have trash in their yards or alley ways.