Couple tired of trashy Lake Wylie corner

A couple tired of passers-by trashing their corner of Lake Wylie has come up with a solution.

Danielle and Jay Schoolmeesters set up a trash can under the No Littering sign near the corner of Fewell and Rufus Ratchford roads.

“My husband and I are fed up with the trash in our yard,” said Danielle Schoolmeesters, who has lived there for 13 years. “It’s just overwhelming sometimes.”

She said she dragged an unused trashed can to the corner.

“I’m going to make a statement,” she said.

But what she has seen in the past couple of weeks, she said, is it’s making a difference.

“It’s actually helping. People are at least trying to use it,” she said.

Schoolmeesters said she used the South Carolina PalmettoPride Trash Tracker app to report the problem.

“I was notified the case was resolved, but I’ve never once seen anyone out here,” she said.

According to http://palmettopride.org/, “Trash Tracker app allows citizens to take pride, take responsibility and take action against litter in South Carolina. The app will allow you to report litterbugs, illegal dumpsites, areas that need attention in all 46 counties.”

Schoolmeesters said a trash bag may fall from a truck, but most of the trash she finds is alcohol bottles and cans, and diapers.

“It’s not just our area, it seems to be everywhere,” she said.

Schoolmeesters said during trips to other states like California, Florida and Georgia, “you don’t see trash anywhere.”

“I don’t know why it’s a problem just here, but it’s very frustrating,” she said. “We all need to take pride and responsibility to stop littering.”

Scott Morgan, code enforcement program manager for PalmettoPride in Columbia, said littering is a statewide issue and a culture that needs to be changed.

“We pretty much hear from coast to mountains,” he said. “DUI and litter fall in the same category, they’re inexcusable and preventable.”

According to South Carolina Litter Laws listed at yorkcountygov.com, a litterbug will receive a letter from the Department of Public Safety explaining if a law enforcement officer had witnessed the littering, it could have resulted in a fine or jail time. Littering is a misdemeanor with fines of $200 to $1,000 depending on the weight and volume, in addition to community service up to 100 hours and possible jail time no more than one year.

To report a litter problem – include the location, time and the litterbug’s license number – call 877-754-8837 or 877-725-7733.

This story was originally published August 25, 2015 at 4:04 PM with the headline "Couple tired of trashy Lake Wylie corner."