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If there’s anything that gets locals up in arms quickly, it’s trash in and around town. And to take it one step further, nothing makes people more upset than seeing trash at West Point Lake.

It’s a frustrating problem, one local leaders have attempted to prevent for years. Obviously, there’s a local component, as trash from this area definitely falls into our waterways.

However, some trash also washes down current from upstream, with Troup County as its final destination.

Chattahoochee Riverkeeper is constantly battling the trash, coming up with new ways to prevent it from getting into our local waterways. Just last week, the Riverkeeper partnered with WATERGOAT to install a boom-style trash trap at Dixie Creek and Blue John Creek.

The average WATERGOAT captures 117 pounds of debris, and the areas were scouted closely before the installation. The installation wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Georgia Power, the City of LaGrange and the Riverkeeper.

We appreciate the work of the Riverkeeper. There will unfortunately always be more trash, but hopefully, one day we can get to the point where there’s much less than there is now.

For that to happen, we need people to be aware that the trash they throw out their car window harms our environment.

Not only does it make our area look trashy, it’s easy for an animal to get sick after eating it, or for it to find itself in a river, creek or lake.

Imagine if everyone ensured that they correctly disposed of their own trash, rather than being careless.

We wouldn’t have a litter problem, and the work of organizations like the Riverkeeper would be much simpler.

We ask that you do your part. Take care of our environment. Clean up your trash.

They are easy steps that make our community a cleaner and better place to live.