LAURINBURG — The Laurinburg-Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce is tackling a throw-away issue — gearing up to clean up the county with its annual Fall Litter Sweep competition in an effort to spread the mantra ‘Scotland Pride’ throughout the community.
“The Chamber of Commerce GREEN Team sponsors the event every spring and fall — it is a reaction to clean up the mess we created,” said Chris English, executive director for the Chamber of Commerce.
The competition will be a six-day quest for teams to pick up the most litter around the county. Volunteers who register will receive a free T-shirt with the new logo. Supplies like vests, gloves, and trash bags will be available at the Chamber office and teams can drop off trash at recycling centers in the county where a volunteer will weigh the litter.
The recycling centers are located at:
— Stewartsville, U.S. 401 South
— Williamson/Livingston Quarters
— Wagram, U.S. 401 North
— Palmer Road
English added that, this year, there will only be one winner who will receive a trophy.
“It’s all about bragging rights (and) pride in yourself — you will not be so quick to dump litter,” said English. “We want our spaces to look beautiful and do what we can to keep it that way.”
English wants the community to use ‘Scotland Pride’ to keep respect for the land and each other. He said that the mantra is something he, his friends, and a few in the community make an effort to say, especially those who grew up and went to the schools in the area. English wants the mantra to be as meaningful as the famous Texas mantra.
“Don’t Mess with Texas was a litter campaign; it got huge, so more events will be tied to ‘Scotland Pride’ in the future,” said English. “Scotland pride is for all of us, the community is so diverse. It’s to spread respect for your property and other’s property.”
The Fall Litter Sweep will be held Oct. 29 through Nov. 3 and participants can go to the Chamber office to register at 606 S. Atkinson St., Laurinburg.
Jael Pembrick can be reached at 910-506-3169 or jpembrick@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com.
