There is no question Newton County is blessed with some beautiful, lush countryside; it should be a pleasure to drive throughout our county on some of the beautiful days we have had the last few months.

This week we were out and about in the county; in fact we were driving on Ga. Highway 162 and what we saw made  us disgusted.  Both sides of the highway are littered with trash. It wasn’t just a little bit of trash; it was the amount of trash you would expect to find in a third world country.

This embarrassing trash build up on our highways is detrimental to our economy.

We spend a great deal of tax money trying to attract new business to our county. However, if we rightly take our visitors out to visit our beautiful county, they can’t help but notice this trash buildup.

The sad truth is visitors would likely never voice their opinion on the trash-covered roads and litter strewn along our beautiful highways and for all we know, it might factor in their decision whether to come here.

Since money is so tight and we do not have money in the county coffers to pay for this clean up, we might suggest that if you have the same concerns as us, that you gather your neighbors and spend a weekend cleaning the highways near your home. Call Keep Newton County Clean and Beautiful and ask for an area you can adopt. You can reach them at (770) 784-2015  or newtonclean@co.newton.ga.us. 

Each of us can help keep Newton County beautiful by thinking before we let trash be thrown out of our car windows or out of the back of a truck, and we can secure our trashcans so the elements don’t spread trash around.

We have been given a gift to have the opportunity to live here; we need to make every effort to be thankful for that gift.