Scavengers tear up trash bags, spread paper on street

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On West Jane Street, located just north of Abbeville, there was a 25 yard stretch of trash that should not be there, according to Police Jury Wayne Touchet.
Touchet discovered the mess Tuesday afternoon. He got down and went through the trash and saw addresses and names of who the trash belonged to.
However, he was not 100 percent sure that the person to whom the stuff belonged is the same person who put the trash there. He was not sure if the person the stuff belongs to, also owns the house across the street where the trash was found.
Touchet called Police Jury Administrator Keith Roy, who then called the Wildlife and Fisheries to investigate the trash.
While agents were investigating the scene, a neighbor stopped to find out what was going on. She explained to the agents that the trash was in green trash bags along Jane Street. The neighbor said people ripped the bags and searched through the trash. When the people were done, all of the items, a majority of which was paper, was scattered all over the side of the road. It went into the ditch and began flying in the field and in residents’ yards.
After hearing the neighbor, Touchet explained where the resident twice went wrong. He first said the trash was placed across the street and not at the residence’s home. That is violation number one, he said. Also, the paper that is flying all over should have been placed in the garbage can and not on the side of the road.
A special committee was recently created by the police jury to come up with ways to educate the public about what should and should not be thrown on the side of the road.
“The police jury has spoiled residents,” said Touchet. “For 30-plus years, residents have put almost anything they wanted on the side of the road, and the police jury grab trucks picked it up. That has to stop to help preserve the landfill.”
Touchet said had this been picked up by the garbage truck instead of the grab truck, the paper would have been placed in a different part of the landfill.
Instead, it was placed with branches and construction debris, where it does not belong, he said.
“The police jury needs to do a better job educating the public about what should and should not be placed along the road. The committee is the beginning,” Touchet added.
In the meantime, as of Wednesday, the trash still remains along of the road, waiting for the police jury to send a grab truck and manpower to remove it.