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Residents urge Wilkes County to reinstate inmate litter‑pickup program to aid cleanup and tourism
Summary
Clean‑Up Wilkes volunteers and area residents urged the board to reinstate the Statewide Misdemeanant Confinement Program for roadside litter pickup, saying the program saves money, improves tourism appeal and is already used by most North Carolina counties.
Residents and volunteer groups told the Wilkes County Board of Commissioners on March 18 that reinstating the Statewide Misdemeanant Confinement Program (SMCP) for roadside litter pickup would improve the county's appearance, support tourism and reduce cleanup costs.
Stephen Lindh described volunteer cleanup work with Clean‑Up Wilkes and asked whether the county has a beautification committee. He said education in local schools has been effective and volunteered additional work in the county's hard‑to‑reach roadside areas.
Polly Jones, representing Clean‑Up Wilkes, said Wilkes County's roadside litter is an economic and environmental obstacle to tourism goals and cited a February 2023 NOAA study and a Western Carolina University study (as described) linking plastic waste to watershed impacts. David Doyle described how the SMCP functions: he said 71 of North Carolina's 100 counties currently use the program; Wilkes County had ended its participation in 2018. Doyle explained that a county can be a receiving county (to house and use misdemeanor inmates for cleanup) and noted training and monthly certification requirements, and that the General Assembly provides funding for the program while sheriffs' offices administer it locally. He said reimbursement and program logistics can save the county money compared with private contractors.
Board members thanked the speakers; the minutes record the public comments but do not show a board decision to reinstate the program at the March 18 meeting.
