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Dear editor, would you believe there are an estimated 51.2 billion pieces of litter on America’s roadways? That is roughly 6,729 items per mile. 

Lately, we’ve all seen an increase of littering in LaGrange. You’ve probably noticed it yourself as you drive around town. 

Mayor Thornton and Troup County Commissioner Chairman Crews are leading the charge to clean up litter in our community. They are concerned about the negative impacts of litter on quality of life, economic development, aesthetics, and the environment. A media campaign was launched in 2018 to encourage citizens to stop littering our roadways and public spaces. This has been a good start to addressing the problem, but more needs to be done. 

On April 23, 2021, city employees will continue its campaign to “Leave LaGrange Better than We Found It.”  

Once again, the city will close down non-essential services from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and city employees will pick up litter on major gateways around town.

We hope that you will consider joining us by adopting your own spot.  

Dedicating even an hour or two is extremely helpful in not only cleaning up the environment, but also communicating the importance to be litter free.  

In years past, we’ve had several citizens and business reach out and participate in the event.  

Should you be interested, please contact Katie Van Schoor at kvanschoor@lagrangega.org. 

We can help with supplying bags, vests and garbage pickup. On a personal note, it has been an eye-opening experience for me to participate in these clean-up events.  Getting out into the community, working side by side with employees and residents, and beautifying the community has been a very rewarding experience. 

Thank you for your consideration.  

– Meg Kelsey 

LaGrange City Manager