Police gearing up for ‘litter blitz’ on this local highway

Police are cracking down on litterbugs this spring, especially along Highway 90 where the county landfill is located.

Horry County Police Chief Joseph Hill called the effort a “litter blitz,” and says tickets will be written to offenders beginning in April to help clean up the highway.

While police are targeting drivers on the road, the Horry County Sanitation District plans to start charging fees on drivers coming into the landfill without tarps covering loads of garbage and yard debris.

New rules allowing $150 fees on large commercial haulers and $75 for all other vehicles will be voted on by the Horry County Council at their April 4 meeting, and will take effect immediately if passed.

Horry County Councilman Al Allen urged the council to take quick action on the proposed ordinance.

“Spring is coming, and the litter will be flying,” Allen said.

The language originally proposed this week at the council’s Public Safety Committee would have offered some drivers entering the landfill a chance to escape the fee, by exiting the landfill and securing a tarp to the truck.

That was intended to give residential haulers rather than commercial operators an opportunity to fix the problem, said Danny Knight, executive director of the sanitation district.

“Our board felt like it was better for people that didn’t haul every day or know the rules to get the opportunity to go across the street to the Dollar General store and buy a tarp,” Knight said.

The council disagreed, and asked the county attorney to change that language charging the fee to every tarpless truck entering the facility.

“Once they come in, that means they’ve been down Highway 90, 22, wherever else, spewing trash everywhere,” said Mark Lazarus, county council chairman.

Councilman Bill Howard expressed concern over the fees, fearing it would prompt some residents to throw their garbage in illegal dumps.

If passed, Knight said the Sanitation District will install signs warning drivers about the fees if trucks arrive without a tarp, and encourage drivers to replace the tarps before leaving.

“That loose litter is a battle, but hopefully the tarps are going to help us,” Knight said. “Some of those tarps are like bathing suits, but we’ll keep working on them to cover up.”

This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Police gearing up for ‘litter blitz’ on this local highway."