“If everyone picks up one bag of trash, think how much better off we’d be.”

That comment, made last Saturday by Limestone County Commission Chairman Collin Daly, sparked Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful’s One Bag Challenge. Executive Coordinator Lynne Hart hopes all residents accept the challenge.

“We’ve had really great response,” Hart said. “I’ve posted several people on our Facebook page who have done it, and we have more scheduled to do it.”

She’s encouraging anyone who picks up one bag of trash to post the photo to social media with the hashtag #OneBagChallenge. Those who do so by the end of the day Sunday will be included in a Monday drawing for one of several prizes.

“The actual challenge will continue beyond that,” Hart said. “We should be doing it because we love where we live.”

Daly believes residents should care about the appearance of their county because it’s not only their home, but also because it’s growing by leaps and bounds. Last Saturday, during KALB’s Trash Attack, he and volunteer Sally Marks collected several bags of garbage from U.S. 72 near Applebee’s restaurant.

“Appearance is worth a thousand words,” he said. “People pull up and look and see how trash is scattered around, and they may think the rest of your town is like that.”

Despite a threat of storms last weekend, Hart thanked those who participated in the Trash Attack. She said 2,300 pounds of trash was collected in Ardmore alone. Other cleanup spots were in Tanner, East Limestone and West Limestone. She’s still calculating totals from those spots.

When asked if Limestone’s litter problem is a learned behavior, Hart said litter of today is worse than that of 30 or 40 years ago because it’s less biodegradable.

“Our population has exploded and we’ve got bottled water, bottled ice coffee and more fast food restaurants,” she said. “Limestone County is going to look like a dump. Why is this tolerated? Why is this permitted?”

She said one woman was inspired to help clean up litter by her 8-year-old daughter, who was disgusted by what she saw. The child asked for a vest and a pick-up stick for Christmas, which Santa brought her.

“That’s why we go into the schools and try to instill how important this is,” Hart said. “No one wants to pick up after some slob, but I do this because I love my community and I care about wildlife.”

Those who would like to borrow supplies to pick up litter from KALB may do so by calling 256-233-8000.