Litter is the type of problem that seems always to be there, but Mayor Shirley Washington is looking for a solution that is always there, as well.
On Saturday, the city, along with other entities, is hosting a community-wide cleanup that is aimed at picking up trash along major thoroughfares, as well as along some lesser-traveled streets. And it's long overdue, Washington said.
Washington said the city normally has as many as four cleanups a year, but the last one was in January. Consequently, there are months and months of trash build-up along the roadways.
"We had a spring cleanup scheduled for the end of March, but everything kind of froze about then because of covid," Washington said.
Jefferson County's Juvenile Detention Center had been getting youngsters out one day a week to pick up litter, weather permitting, "but since covid hit, now that hasn't happened either," she said.
The result is that the city is "excessively trashy," Washington said, from an accumulation of things that get tossed out of car windows and blown out of the backs of pickups but also from bulky items, such as mattresses and old furniture, that have gotten dumped on the side of the road.
The usual turnout for a cleanup event is between 250 and 300 people. Washington said she is not expecting that many Saturday, what with the fear associated with the coronavirus, but to combat that fear, the city has made an effort to ensure that volunteers stay safe.
There will be gloves and masks, as well as safety vests and "trash-grabbers" -- long-handled tongs for picking up debris. There will also be hand sanitizer available.
"We are doing everything with safety in mind," Washington said. "Safety first."
Once the city can get an upper hand on the litter that's on the ground, Washington said she would like to turn areas over to groups to keep clean the way clubs and other groups adopt certain areas of highways to keep clear of debris.
William Fells, a special projects coordinator in the mayor's office, said the city would identify thoroughfares that need cleaning and reach out to churches, businesses and other organizations "to see if they would be willing to help clean up those areas on their own, so that there is consistency in keeping the city clean."
Going forward, Washington also said she would like to find long-term solutions to litter, which has plagued Pine Bluff for years. She said she would like to see anti-litter campaigns taken into schools, churches and community organizations.
"What has to happen is there needs to be a change in the culture," she said. "We need to instill respect for our community, respect for our environment and respect for our homes. And we need to keep our city litter-free."
Washington said she remembers years ago when Buddy Deane, on his Pine Bluff radio show, would talk about "litter critters" during an anti-litter campaign.
"He used to say, 'we do not need another litter critter,'" she recalled the radio announcer saying. "We need to rid our community of litter critters."
For those interested in helping Saturday, the cleanup will run from 8 a.m. until noon. Volunteers are being asked to meet at the Saracen Landing Pavilion at 200 Lake Saracen Drive. Volunteers will be assigned specific areas of the city so they can concentrate their efforts.
Under normal circumstances, volunteers would return to the staging area for lunch, but Washington said that because of coronavirus precautions, there will be no lunch served this year.