Wicomico Clean volunteers press council for paid litter-remediation coordinator as solid-waste staff outline duties

Volunteers with Wicomico Clean and county solid-waste staff presented an update and a set of requests during an open work session on March 18, highlighting heavy volunteer turnout, large volumes of roadside trash removed and a proposal for a paid county position to coordinate litter remediation and outreach.

Mark Engberg and Bruce Robeson of Wicomico Clean described rapid volunteer growth—from a small group to repeated cleanups drawing dozens of volunteers—and reported roughly 15 tons of debris removed over a series of events and about 35 cleanup events to date. Engberg said volunteers often return to the same hotspots and urged the county to adopt both short-term remediation and long-term policy measures such as better signage, potential single-use bag bans and a bottle-deposit program to reduce litter at the source.

Adam Corey (acting landfill superintendent/executive director of environmental services) and Mike (solid-waste staff) briefed the council on administrative steps already underway. The county had combined two compliance inspector roles into one environmental compliance technician and advertised for the position; administration said the technician would assume significant technical reporting duty (EPA and MDE reporting and groundwater sampling oversight), freeing the recycling coordinator to focus on outreach and litter program coordination. Administration indicated an offer had been made and the technician was expected to start in early April.

County staff and volunteers suggested a modest, fiscally conservative path: shift reporting duties to the new compliance technician (no net new cost) and reassign programmatic litter-outreach work to the recycling coordinator, supplemented by a new boots-on-the-ground position or use of existing staff/resident volunteers to handle pickup logistics. Volunteers also proposed stronger signage and a public education campaign, and asked the council to explore recycled-bottle deposits, plastic-bag limitations, and using community-service and conservation-corps labor to augment volunteer collections.

Council members and staff discussed enforcement and practical constraints: law enforcement said enforcement depends on evidence and the ability to identify dumpers; county staff described past prosecutions for large-scale illegal dumping but noted enforcement resources are limited. Administration and volunteers discussed using inmate or community-service crews, partnering with Delmarva Disposal for large trailers, and coordinating with state Operation Clean Sweep highway efforts.

The council asked staff to return with a plan and suggested the recycling coordinator and the prospective environmental compliance technician could be central to a near-term, cost-neutral pilot; council members voiced support for continuing volunteer partnerships and exploring grant funding, signage upgrades and a potential part-time or trial staff position to maintain momentum.

Ending: County staff and volunteers will prepare follow-up materials and a plan for the council; the solid-waste spring workshop was scheduled for March 19 at the civic center to provide additional detail to the public and stakeholders.