“A good judgement of one person’s cleanliness is the condition of their bathroom and kitchen.”
This analogy, among other insights, contributed to the growth of our mayor, Darryl V. Grennell.  This is the logic that he and the City would like to pass down to its citizens.  If you can imagine, the City of Natchez is our house, the bluff is our bathroom and the downtown is our kitchen.  The City of Natchez is the Jewel of the Mississippi, not only for its historic structures and aesthetic beauty, but for its people.  Time and time again, we hear praise from visitors about the welcoming nature of our people, yet some visitors leave with a bad taste in their mouths.  One of those factors is the prevalence of litter throughout our community. Litter currently is degrading the physical, economic, environmental and social conditions of our community, and as a community it is our duty to change that.

One of the great fallacies of justifying littering is, “well I pay my taxes, so the government can clean it.” For those with this fatalistic mentality, I urge you to look through of the eyes of others.  To other citizens, it shows a decline in the environment, a loss of pride and a shattered sense of community pride.  To the outsider passing by, it shows a community not united, ignorant to the observable effects of litter. To the business owner, litter around a parking lot puts unwarranted financial pressure on the business to keep maintaining an attractive storefront. Lastly to the City, the increase in litter creates an issue with the limited resources the City has to dedicate to this trivial bad habit.  As more and more litter goes down, the costs cleaning it goes up and up.

Littering is the easiest way to show your community that you don’t care, however preventing or cleaning up litter in your neighborhood is the easiest way to show that you have pride in your community.  The effects of litter may seem nonexistent at the moment when you throw out a bag, cigarette butt or bottle, however it contribute greatly to the rising costs it takes to clean it.  Would you let people throw litter in your house?  What lessons are you teaching your children when you litter?  Next time when you are driving in your car, cleaning out your house or walking in downtown Natchez, take a second to contemplate the multiple negative consequences a concentrated amount of trash can have on the physical landscape, environment, economy and overall welfare of our community.
Riccardo Giani is the Natchez city planner.