ST. LANDRY PARISH, La. — It looks like litter is taking over the Parish, and elected leaders on the Parish council are fighting to do something about it, and it could involve you earning some extra cash.
At Wednesday night's Public Works Committee meeting, Councilman Faltery "FJ" Jolivette raised concerns about litter and a possible solution to get more convictions.
In the meeting, Jolivette proposed adding an amendment to the existing litter ordinance for the Parish.
The additional addendum would allow the public to tip anonymously on those who litter and receive a cash reward for tipping the violator. However, council members asked where the Parish would get the funds and what process they would use to reward those who tip.
"It's awful in our parish, but we can get dirty like any other Parish, and we have to do something about it," said Councilman Jolivette.
Jolivette told the council that the rewards program should be similar to Crime Stoppers.
"The initiative is to get rid of the litter and to take care of the bad dumping in our Parish, so if we can promote this incentive, maybe it will help the public to get more involved and help keep our Parish clean," said Jolivette.
"It's so deplorable. I haven't seen trash so bad in the Parish, and I am not talking about trash flying out of a truck. I am talking about big objects," said District 6 Councilman Ken Marks.
"We get anything from McDonald's bags full of food to refrigerators, washers, dryers, and mattresses," said Jolivette.
Parish Landfill Executive Director Richard LeBoeuf was also in attendance and discussed the severity of the litter problem and gave solutions to how to combat the problem. During the meeting, he advised the council to implement a 24-hour call service. He also mentioned replicating Lafayette's Parish Proud program, which keeps the environment and community thriving and free from clutter and promotes economic growth and connection.
Councilman Jolivette says it's greatly needed.
"We are going to work together, and my implementation is to give a reward. It will also work with what LeBoeuf is putting together to help get more convictions, and I think it's a win-win tonight. Now we have to get this on the board, figure out some legalities, and go from there," said Jolivette.
The City of Opelousas is also tackling litter. Keep Louisiana Beautiful awarded the City a grant to place eight trash receptacles on Grolee, Main, Bellevue, Landry, and Court Streets.
