Maybe it’s finally time to ‘use the force,’ Mobile 

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson has always said Mobile’s litter problem is one of his top priorities. 

And I do think he has made some progress, especially in regards to litter in the waterways with the installation of local company Osprey Initiative’s “Litter Gitters.”

After the 2021 election, when he easily secured a third term, he released his 100-day plan, and tackling the litter problem was on his lengthy “to-do” list. He laid out a multi-prong approach, including launching a new citizen litter-collection tool, a website, a shopping center litter-demonstration project, a litter-free leader’s program and a youth litter-education program.

I have heard him even say he wanted to think outside of the box with simple things like sending everyone who owns a truck a postcard to remind them to secure everything in their beds before leaving their driveways, saying he sees lots of garbage flying out of the back of trucks, and he thinks owners simply forget to check. Not a bad idea either.

But respectfully, Mayor Stimpson, while I think all of these things are great and should be implemented, I just don’t think it’s going to get the job done. Not in the way we all want it to be done anyway.

We have folks who are going to litter no matter how much education, threat of minor penalties, shopping center demonstrations, tools or websites you provide.

We have been in a decades-long stage of denial, thinking we could change these patterns of behavior. (And yes, we should keep trying!)

But maybe it’s time we accept we can’t rely on education and volunteer efforts alone and tackle this problem in a different way.

It’s time to use the force — Mobile’s Litter Force, that is.

I have always been astonished at the amazing efforts of our Public Works Department during our beloved but super duper litter-filled Carnival celebration.

They clean up the streets of downtown after every Mardi Gras parade, and it looks great. I remember one year there was a travel writers’ conference coming to Mobile right after Mardi Gras and Public Works, with the help of the Downtown Mobile Alliance’s BID workers and volunteers alike, made downtown look better than it did before the first parade ever rolled. It was impressive.

So why can’t we take that strategy and employ it all year long and across the city? 

We could deploy seven troops of two to three people out to combat litter eight hours a day, five days a week. They would attack each of the city’s districts to clean up its litter “hot spots.” And they would clean these areas like it’s their job — because it is. Perhaps eradicating litter once and for all! (Say that last line in a movie announcer voice.)

Not saying businesses, community groups, volunteers, trustees from the jail and people who need community service hours can’t pitch in, too (they certainly should; we all should), but can you imagine the huge difference it would make if the Litter Force was out there every day doing this?

Well, how do we pay for this? If each Litter Force member made $35K a year and there are two per district, 14 x $35,000 is $490,000. Sure there would be other costs associated with vehicles and insurance, etc., but if we could keep our city sparkling for less than a million a year (especially with a program we knew would actually work), then why not try something new?

I just think the Litter Force could be fun and cool — they could have quirky vehicles and uniforms and even the bags they use for collection could be bright, attention-grabbing colors. What’s more educational than seeing “the Force” out doing their thing and kids going, “Mommy, who is that and what are they doing?”

When groups go out to volunteer with the Force, they could get cool merch for their service, and there could be silly hashtags for posting on social media. It could be super hip!

And I know where I would want to send them on their first missions:

• Along all of the banks of the creeks on major thoroughfares in the city. The one along Dauphin and Springdale Boulevard is always a nightmare. But really they all are for some reason.
• Under and around every I-10 and I-65 overpass and exit. If you have been under the overpass at Old Shell near Dreamland of late, well, you know what a garbage pit it is.
• Springhill Avenue between Ann and Broad. Specifically, the presumably abandoned white house on the south side of the street. Although, why can’t the property owner be forced to clean this property up?

And I am sure, every councilperson could add to this list, and 311 could direct citizen complaints/requests to each Litter Force district commander.

The Litter Force would be beloved by all!

I know there will be a million reasons stated why we can’t do this, and maybe there are hurdles I am just not thinking about. But it seems just as possible as creating websites and demonstrations and education programs that we have to just wait and hope will help. If we use “the force” we 100 percent know it will.

But it doesn’t have to be either/or. If we combine all of the mayor’s aforementioned 100-day initiatives with the Litter Force, well, I mean, talk about a “force” that would just be unstoppable.

As one master of the force once said, “Try not! Do or do not, there is no try!”

Let’s do this, Mobile!