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There’s nothing better than a day on the lake, and Troup County is a lucky community to have one in its backyard. But an instant turnoff – to area residents and visitors – is no doubt the number of bottles, cans and overall junk left on the lake’s grounds following the recent Fourth of July holiday. Mind you, employees with the Parks and Recreation and inmate crews with the Troup County Sheriff’s Department did an excellent job cleaning all this up the day following the event, and a conversation with the Parks and Rec director revealed he and several others were at the park earlier that morning just to clean the parks from the three -day weekend.

But why should grown adults pick up after fellow adults? Why is it so hard to pick up after one’s self?

Troup County is no stranger to litter issues. It’s obvious by the site of some of the county’s roadsides where fast-food bags and cups pile up and sit for what could be months if county employees or residents didn’t pick them up. One might think this trash ends up there by accident when it flies off the backs of trucks speeding down the roadways. A careless and unfortunate mistake, but a common one nonetheless.

But for trash left behind at county parks and at West Point Lake’s beaches, the situation is different and much more aggravating. This trash is left behind by people who, if they couldn’t find a trashcan, elected to make the clean-up someone else’s problem rather than simply carry it in their own cars for a little bit.

Following the Fourth of July celebration at Pyne Road, fresh bottles, cans and even water toys were left at the lake, many of it right at the water line where it could have easily ended up in the lake.

It says a lot when a community does not clean up after itself. How can we expect visitors to our community to want to return when they’re greeted with trash we helped leave behind?  The lake is such an educational and valuable resource for Troup County with so much potential. We as a community have to do our part to protect it, and it all starts with picking up after ourselves when we head home for the day.