Here may be how that KFC trash got into the WWALS boom on Sugar Creek.

Remember, you can report trash problems through Valdosta’s Click ‘n’ Fix smartphone app. For trash or other problems elsewhere, here’s how to report: https://wwals.net/report/.

KFC trash, creeks, boom

There’s a Kentucky Fried Chicken at 1300 St. Augustine Road, marked by the big red pushbutton on the map.

Map: KFC to Tractor Supply to Hightower Creek and Sugar Creek in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.

A bit down the road (follow the red line) a red ellipse marks where yesterday more KFC trash was found in the parking lot in front of Tractor Supply.

KFC in front of Tractor Supply, St. Augustine Road

Keep following the red line, as it goes into Hightower Creek (mis-labeled by googlemaps), then Sugar Creek, and on up past the Salty Snapper to where another KFC cup was pulled out of the WWALS trash boom last Wednesday.

KFC in net

Is it the responsibility of each parking lot owner to clean up trash left by their customers, even if the customers brought the trash from somewhere else?

Yes, according to Valdosta’s ordinances:

The owner, occupant, and lessee of all property, including, but not limited to, parking lots, not otherwise described herein, jointly, and severally are required to remove all litter from any source, from their property and to place same in appropriate containers.

This would be a lot easier if parking lots had trash cans as required by those ordinances:

Every owner, manager, occupant, tenant or lessee using or occupying any commercial, institutional or individual building or property shall be obligated jointly or severally to provide an appropriate number of litter receptacles maintained in good, clean condition.

For more about those ordinances, see Litter in the City of Valdosta: Sources and Solutions.

Now we’re not picking on this particular parking lot owner. They’ve been very cooperative in making changes to stop trash getting off their lot. This is a general problem throughout the City of Valdosta and beyond. Very few parking lots have the required trash cans, and very few do much to stop trash from escaping into creeks.

Best would be for businesses to just go ahead and put out the trash cans and clean up their customers’ messes, like good businesses should. How about a sign to put in your parking lot recognizing that your business did that?

Of course, people shouldn’t litter, either. Still, if parking lots would follow the Disney rule of trash cans 30 feet apart, more people would use them.

And the companies that make this single-use trash should stop making it and the fast food companies that sell it should stop that.

For more on the general trash situation, and what WWALS and others are doing, see https://wwals.net/issues/trash/

Remember, you can report trash problems through Valdosta’s Click ‘n’ Fix smartphone app. For trash or other problems elsewhere, here’s how to report: https://wwals.net/report/.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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