Informational Snellville Clean & Proud meeting set for Sept. 26

SNELLVILLE – When Mayor Pro Tem Dave Emanuel created the Snellville Clean & Proud program, he had three goals in mind - inspiring residents to adopt a road by picking up litter, making people aware of the problems litter creates and adding ways the neighbors can help each other in cases of code violations.

But more people need to know about the program to make the city cleaner, Emanuel said. That's why Snellville Clean & Proud is hosting a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26 at City Hall, 2342 Oak Road.

The program has been successful – two official clean-up dates collected nearly 40 bags of litter on Oak Road and other groups have formed in Clean & Proud's image, including a recent clean-up effort by the South Gwinnett High School Softball team.

"The program has gotten off to a good start with several groups adopting roads and others in the process of selecting a road," he said. "I've also found that quite a few individuals regularly pick up litter. Some go out specifically for that purpose, others do it while out walking their dogs."

In addition to being unsightly, litter can also create blockages in stormwater systems and become harmful debris and pollution leaches into the soil or flows into lakes and streams. Litter can also form a breeding ground for mosquitoes and cause the injury or death of animals who ingest discarded objects or are cut by sharp objects.

"Litter is often thought of as harmless pieces of paper, but when you go out and clean up a road, you find a surprising variety of things," Emanuel said. "When we cleaned Oak Road, we found nuts, bolts, screws, nails, bottles, tires and some items that are better left unmentioned. Many of these items aren't merely unsightly, they're potential hazards."

Emanuel will speak about the Clean & Proud program. Gwinnett County Solicitor Brian Whiteside will be on hand to discuss the steps he's taking to prevent illegal dumping and catch people in the act. Snellville Police Chief Roy Whitehead will also be in attendance to explain the city's code enforcement policies and procedures and the options that are available to people who have been cited for violations.

The meeting is open to the public.