Screven County Litter Index Survey

As a Keep America Beautiful affiliate, we are required to conduct an annual litter assessment of randomly selected areas of the county. The survey is called the Litter Index and is conducted each year at approximately the same time of year.

On the day of the Litter Index, a team of volunteers tour the survey areas and give the area a score based on what they have observed.

Volunteers use the following ratings:

No Litter
Virtually no litter can be observed.
Slightly Littered
Upon careful inspection, a small amount of litter is obvious.
Littered
Visible litter can readily be seen throughout the area, likely requiring an organized cleanup.
Extremely Littered
Major illegal dump sites are present requiring equipment or extra manpower for removal.

Approach

The county was divided into 22 sections of roadway in and out of Sylvania (see map). Each section of roadway was 3 to 5 miles in length, entering and exiting the county’s major population centers. Two observers from the Screven County Garden Club were positioned on each side of the vehicle with one additional observer centralized to view both sides of the roadway, randomly. At the completion of each section, scores and comments were collected and resolved, if necessary.

Section	Map	2008 Score	2007 Score	2006 Score	This Year's Notable Conditions
1	301 By-Pass north to Jacksonboro Bridge via 301.		1.2	1.8	Falling down buildings near Indian Branch Road.
2	Jacksonboro Bridge north to Plantation Rd. via 301		1.5	1.8	Mobile home eyesore. Abandoned buildings/gas station.
3	Plantation Rd. to middle of Millhaven.		1.0	1.2
4	Middle of Millhaven (Millhaven Rd.) to Waynesboro Hwy to Hiltonia Perkins Rd.		1.0	1.5
5	Hiltonia to Antioch Rd. via Hiltonia Perkins Rd.		1.5	1.2	Damaged building falling down almost in road on Hiltonia-Perkins Road.
6	Antioch Rd. to Buttermilk Rd. to Bay Branch Rd. End at Bay Branch.		1.0	1.4	Building falling down past Sunnyside Road. Old house fallen near 21.
7	Bay Branch to Sylvania By-Pass via Millen Hwy (21).		1.2	2.0
8	Sylvania By-Pass to Woodcliff via Rocky Ford Rd..		1.2	2.0	Litter heavy near prison area. High grass.
9	Woodcliff to Rocky Ford via Rocky Ford Rd.		1.2	2.0
10	Rocky Ford to Ogeechee Rd. via Scarboro Hwy (17).		1.5	1.2	High travel road
11	Ogeechee Rd. to Jenk Hill turnoff.		1.0	1.4	Old appliances. Very clean.
12	Jenk Hill road to Pye Rd. to Goloid Rd. ending at Statesboro Hwy.		1.0	2.0	Falling barn.
13	Statesboro Hwy to Double Heads Church turn onto Captola Rd. to Cameron Rd.		1.5	2.6
14	Captola Rd. to downtown Captola.		1.2	2.2	Messy dumpsters at Jarrell Pond Road.
15	Captola to Halcyondale via Halcyondale Rd.		1.0	1.4	Old abandoned building. High grass.
16	Halcyondale to Oliver via Effingham Hwy.		2.1	1.7	Abandoned car. Rusty falling building.
17	Oliver to Newington via Oliver Hwy.		1.4	1.8
18	Newington to White Hill via Savannah Hwy.		1.0	2.1
19	White Hill to Newington Hwy (24) via Poor Robin Rd and Quail Rd.		1.0	2.2	Abandoned house-eyesore.
20	Newington Hwy (24) to Dickerson's Crossroads (Brannens Bridge Rd).		1.0	1.4
21	Dickerson's Crossroads to downtown Sylvania via Brannens Bridge Rd.		1.2	1.6
22	Sylvania By-Pass (entire)		2.1	2.5
			Average total 1.3	Average total 1.8

Litter Index 2007

The Litter Index score for this year is 1.2 on a 1.0 to 4.0 scale with 1.0 being the lowest score you can receive. This is a 0.5 improvement over last year's score, an excellent change in the right direction.
Many of the areas along the 20+ mile route received a grade of 1.0. There are a least 7 stretches that received a score of 1.0. This is an outstanding result.
Conversely, several areas were graded above 1.5. These tended to be the higher trafficked stretches in the county such as along highways 301 and 17.
As seen before last year, areas that are maintained by homeowners and some businesses were litter free. Areas around quick stops tended to be more littered. One area that continues to be an eyesore and not a litter problem is the run-down and abandoned properties that exist throughout the county. Their dilapidated appearance significantly detracts from several of the litter free areas.
The reason for the decrease in litter can be attributed to several factors. These include a greater public awareness of littering primarily resulting from increased educational efforts through Keep Screven Beautiful member presentations to the public at schools and at civic meetings and through articles in the newspaper such as the article on loose trash being carried in the backs of pickup trucks that blows out as you drive along the roadways. An additional emphasis during our Keep Screven Beautiful member coordinated annual community Great American Cleanup has resulted in several areas that had received little attention in the past being cleaned for the first time. Some areas of the county are clean regularly by individuals who have Adopted-a-Highway. One other source of excellent support has come from the participation of inmates at our correctional facilities. They cover areas that receive little public attention and their efforts greatly enhance our litter free program.
The community should be proud of their accomplishments. Their efforts make Screven County a place that anyone would be enjoy to live or establish a business.

Recommendations

Education should focus on the discouraging throwing litter from vehicles. Efforts should also be made to remove/ restore abandoned structures and to have necessary unsightly storage areas screened from view.

Last updated: October 19, 2007

Mission Statement

The Keep Screven Beautiful Commission encourages and educates all citizens of Screven County to end litter, minimize solid waste and beautify our county. The Commission works toward improving litter and solid waste control ordinances and seeks effective enforcement of all pertinent ordinances.

Keep Screven Beautiful

412 Pine Street

Sylvania, GA 30467

Phone: 912.564.9171

Email: Lisa.Guidos@KeepScrevenBeautiful.com