Volunteers compile data for community litter index

Volunteers were mildly satisfied with what they saw on a recent trip through the area to look at litter.

The Litter Index is a tool designed by Keep America Beautiful and used across the nation to measure the amount of visible litter in a community, according to the website, http://www.bridgingthegap.org.

As a KAB affiliate, Keep Kimball Beautiful recently conducted a litter index with Director Larissa Binod, board member Sarah Bouse and a group of seven volunteers, including a city council member, a school board member and two students.

Areas throughout the community were rated on a scale of one to four with one being not, or barely, littered.

Litter was measured along Hwy. 30, east and west of Kimball, the recreation area, Hwy. 71 north and south of town, Interstate 80 from the east to the west interchange as well as the bypass.

Entire neighborhoods were evaluated as well, including the north side of the railroad tracks and the southeast and southwest corners of town.

Heavier litter was seen in areas with higher traffic flows and volunteers found pockets of excessive litter along I-80. The higher number of travelers contributes vastly to the problem.

Binod also explained that the State of Nebraska actually prohibits volunteers from collecting litter within a certain number of feet of the freeway for safety.

Though the group stayed on roadways and alleyways, personal property was also evaluated along the lanes of travel and litter was found to be more pervasive in the lower income portions of the community.

Though volunteers expected more litter in some areas than what was seen, Binod said that annual clean-up efforts have already begun.

“We already did our litter clean-up this year,” Binod said. “One of these years we are going to do our litter index before April.”

Industrial areas seemed to be worse than others, though once the employees of Castronics, for example, cleaned up litter and the area stayed somewhat cleaner.

Binod was also impressed by the Kimball High School cross country team, as she saw them picking up litter along county roads as they ran one of their routes.

One of the major issues in Kimball’s downtown business district was the presence of discarded cigarettes, which were visible from the streets and alleyways.

“Some business owners have cigarette bins and some don’t,” Bouse said.

In addition to rating areas all over Kimball for general litter, two participants rated the same area for additional issues, such as outside storage of items and overgrown vegetation.

Discussion during the local study centered around prevention, such as reusing grocery bags, recycling items when possible and finding appropriate storage.

Peer pressure seems to be a contributing factor, as it was also noted that entire neighborhoods generally shared a basic rating. For instance, in neighborhoods where each three of four blocks are well-cared for, the fourth was likely to be well cared for as well.

Binod will compile the results of the study for the community.

“There’s a lot of studies done about the impact of how a property’s appearance impacts a community,” Binod said. “Sometimes it is money issues, sometimes it is a physical issue or a neurological issue and sometimes it is not an issue at all.”