LUMBERTON – Volunteers from all over Robeson County joined local first aid on Saturday to remove more than 1,000 bags of rubbish from Robeson’s county roads during Operation Spring Cleanup.
“In total, 1,545 large bags of garbage were collected only by the groups participating in the event. More than 200 tires were collected, several coolers and stoves, and even a new 65-inch big-screen TV “still in the box has been retrieved on a road,” Sheriff Burnis Wilkins of Robeson County wrote in a Facebook statement late in week.
On a grim note, the remains of 10 dogs were found “wrapped in garbage bags and dumped beside a ditch” on an undisclosed road, the sheriff said. Most of the dogs were pit bulls and the case is still under investigation.
The cleaning effort, which was the result of a collaboration between the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, firefighters and other first aid, started around 8:00 am at 29 fire stations across the county and ended around midnight day.
The sheriff spent his birthday helping to clean up the rubbish on the roads and shared words of gratitude to everyone who helped.
“It was a blessing to see as many people come together as one and clean as much of the county as possible in a four-hour period. It was really an amazing experience, ”said Wilkins.
The Robeson County Department of Solid Waste has also placed extra trash compactors at some of its collection sites for the cleaning effort, he said.
Faline Dial, chairman of the Robeson County Commissioners Council and a member of the Robeson Clean and Green Committee, also praised the people who collaborated during the effort.
“Operation Spring Cleaning was a great success, with the participation of groups from all over the county. This was the biggest cleanup effort our county has ever had, and I am thrilled by the impact and results that can be seen across the county. Thanks to every person who took the time to keep our county clean and green! ”She said in a statement.
About 20 people gathered in Pembroke on Saturday, including Pembroke city officials such as city manager Tyler Thomas, and Councilwoman Theresa Locklear and Mayor Pro Tem Channing Jones, to collect the trash, said Timothy Ryan Locklear, department head Fire Department in the city of Pembroke.
“It went well. We picked up trash on West Fourth Street, Harry West Lane, Redmond Road and the canal next to Dollar General, which was on Pembroke Pointe Lane,” said Locklear.
The volunteers also picked up trash along Union Chapel Road, he added.
Seventy-five bags of garbage were collected in these areas.
Some volunteers brought their children to the event, and Locklear hopes that garbage collection will discourage them from throwing garbage when they become drivers, he said.
The fire chief also said he is interested in participating in future cleaning opportunities.
“We had fun,” he said.
Tom Taylor, head of the Allenton Volunteer Fire Department and Robeson County Commissioner, said about 40 people showed up to collect 120 bags of rubbish from the roadside areas on Seventh Street Road and on the Derwood and Old Allenton roads in Wisharts .
Taylor said roadside trash is a deterrent for people who want to move to the county or for businesses that are considering moving to Robeson County. And the commissioner wants fewer people to throw garbage, but the cleaning effort has proved to be a step in the right direction.
“We put a little bit on it,” he said.
But, you can’t get all the roads, said Taylor.
Robeson’s County Solid Waste Assistant Director, Kristina Locklear-Cummings, said she was not surprised by the level of participation.
“I think most citizens in this county are concerned and genuinely concerned about the (garbage) issue,” she said.
Another garbage removal opportunity in Robeson County is the NC Department of Transportation’s Adopt-A-Highway Spring Garbage Sweep, which is scheduled for April 10-24.
More efforts are needed to make and keep Robeson County clean, according to Locklear-Cummings.
And county solid waste will continue to do its part, encouraging community members to stop throwing trash, she said. Their efforts also extend to the classroom, where school-age children are taught about the harmful effects of waste.
“No person or organization can handle this alone,” said Locklear-Cummings. “Joint efforts by everyone will be needed to make the sustained impact we want to see.”