A fast-food drink cup with a straw sticking out of its top sat conspicuously in the middle of a Laurinburg department store parking lot the other day.

Numerous people walked past it, some pulling children with them and others pushing shopping cards to or from the store.

Nobody took the time to pick up the drink cup and put it in the trash can that was literally 10 feet away.

This, along with the fact that more and more people are caring less and less about their community, is why there is an abundance of litter in Scotland County.

But there are some organizations doing something about it — like the Laurinburg Rotary Club and the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office, to name a couple.

The Rotary Club is holding its monthly litter cleanup on Saturday. It is the second one the club has held so far — they will meet at Southeast Farm Equipment at 9 a.m. before dispersing to another location for the morning. Join them if you can.

Another organization working to stem the growing tide of littering in Scotland County is the Laurinburg/Scotland County Chamber of Commerce, and its Green Team has been pushing its litter pickup program — both the Spring Litter Sweep and the Fall Litter Sweep —for years now.

The Chamber’s annual spring version will begin on Monday and run through Saturday, April 24 — and this is where YOU can make an impact in your community.

The Green Team wants folks to form litter pickup teams to participate in the week-long competition. Each team is asked to take before and after photos of the area that is cleaned up and post them to the Chamber’s Facebook page at scotlandcountyantilitter.

And there will prizes award.

Based on those photos, a $200 prize will be given for the biggest impact; a $100 prize will be given for second place; and a $50 prize will be given for the most unusual litter picked up.

But first, all litter collected must be taken to one of the Scotland County recycling centers — located at 7981 McColl Road, 16600 St. Johns Church Road, 20461 Wagram Road, 20640 Sneads Grove Road or 17020 Palmer Road.

The Chamber will also supply teams with orange collection bags, gloves and vests — but hurry, supplies may be limited.

Y’all have been cooped up long enough because of COVID-19, so it’s time to get out in the fresh air and sunshine to do something good for the community. And you will feel better because of it — you will have done your part.

In the meantime, if you happen to see a piece of trash along the sidewalk or in a parking lot, please pick it up and dispose of it. Every little bit helps the environment and makes Scotland County just a little more beautiful.

We applaud the Chamber’s Green Team, the Rotary Club and Sheriff’s Office for caring.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“We don’t want to live in a trash can. Stop making it one.”