From Danny Barrett Jr.

Thousands of residents in Warren County outside Vicksburg city limits may still not be disposing of household garbage legally – but the county’s garbage ordinance officer said the majority of residents are obeying the law and keeping things tidy in the county is less of a problem than in years past.

&#8220It’s a work in progress,” said Warren County Fire Coordinator and Environmental Officer Kelly Worthy, adding that the number of residents not showing up on county lists as having paid to have their garbage taken away is less than half of what it was eight months ago.

Addresses representing about 3,000 households outside the city have come up as non-active participants in the county’s garbage collection system, which is funded by a $1.25 surcharge added to bills a firm or individual hauler charges.

The figure is down from about 6,000 households in September estimated to be taking waste to Waste Management themselves, disposing of it in commercial containers with permission, or disposing of it illegally.

According to U.S. Census Bureau figures, there are 20,789 housing units countywide, with 10,425 outside the city limits.

Compliance with the garbage ordinance is handled by Worthy and compliance secretary April Collins, but since the county’s Information Systems Department took over addressing from the E-911 Commission, Worthy said tracking those who dispose legally has become easier.

&#8220Sometimes people move, especially if it’s rental property. But we actively pursue addresses,” Worthy said, adding that his office has ramped up its mailouts to households without an active record of paying for disposal service. As is the case with mail deemed undeliverable by the U.S. Postal Service, more have been returned as addresses have been more clearly defined and added to because of new development.

Updated customer totals were not provided, but Waste Management has been the largest contractor with county households, followed by Earth Friends Recycling and Disposal. There is no public garbage collection outside Vicksburg’s corporate limits and there are no county-provided Dumpsters.

Though the process is time consuming for a county function staffed only by Worthy and Collins, Worthy said, those who may be using less lawful means of throwing their trash away should still be on notice.

&#8220Eventually, you’re going to get a letter from us,” Worthy said.

In addition to the department’s efforts, District 4 Supervisor Carl Flanders jumped into the mix Monday when he offered a motion to have the county’s legal counsel look into crafting an ordinance against placing signs and placards along roadsides.

Though it died without a second – it was criticized later by other supervisors as being too general and aimed at the wrong target for litter – the measure was the first time this year the topic received attention inside the board room.

Fines for dumping illegally under county ordinances is $100 to $500, less stringent than the city’s maximum of $1,000, with areas of sparse population still trouble spots. In both cases, it gets cleaned up as it is reported.

Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality announced last week the county will receive a $61,000 grant to clean up illegal dumps. Even as ridding the county of roadside litter has been more successful than in decades past, Worthy said that money has already been spent, on paper.

&#8220The list I gave to the road department will more than take up that money,” Worthy said, adding his department has also applied for $54,000 from MDEQ for waste tire collection days, the last of which took place Feb. 24.

Held quarterly, the tire collections and White Goods Disposal Day and the annual Hazardous Waste Day provides people with old appliances and noncommercially generated tires an avenue to dispose of refuse legally.

The next hazardous waste collection will be June 16 at Warren Central High School.

As for making the county’s garbage collection and dumpsite monitoring a less reactive process, one dependent on the resident making disposal arrangements on his or her own and reporting litter, Worthy said the only solution is to impose garbage fees like many other counties in the state.

&#8220It’s the perfect solution – but it involves raising taxes,” he said.

In Vicksburg, residents are charged $16.80 monthly for garbage pickup.