Littering penalty doubles to stop Gastonia litterbugs

Litterbugs in Gastonia now face twice the fine if they get caught trashing up the highways and byways of the city, under a revised ordinance approved by City Council.

Penalties go from $100 to $200 for first offenses under 15 pounds, and from $250 fines to $400 fines for subsequent offenses. For offenses more than 15 pounds, first offense penalties increase from $200 to $400 and from $300 to $600 for subsequent offenses.

The harsher penalties go into effect immediately.

Council revised its litter ordinance to discourage people from just throwing their trash anywhere. But the city also has been looking a bit trashier of late, city officials say.

“We are seeing an increase in litter around the city and on highways,” Dale Denton, the city's director of Public Works, said. “And we think it may be due to the pandemic, where more people are eating take-out meals and also an overall increase in traffic to our city.”

Gastonia already wages a battle against litter on several fronts. The city's nonprofit organization, Keep Gastonia Beautiful, helps with street cleanup by sponsoring the Adopt-A-Street program, which encourages residents to adopt a stretch of roadway to clean every two weeks. 

Gastonia contracts with Trinity Hands, an organization that helps pick up litter around the city. The city paid Trinity Hands about $84,000 to collect approximately 160,000 pounds of litter around the city and highways last year. 

And the city will promote the Great American Cleanup, taking place during March 20 through June 20.

But more work needs to be done, and some of that falls on residents of the city, said Juliann Lehman, administrator of Keep Gastonia Beautiful

“We hope the increase in fines will have people thinking twice before they litter and we urge everyone to take action by cleaning their corner, street, stream, or trail,” said Lehman.

State lawmakers are also considering an increase in littering penalties.

For more information about how you can get involved with Keep Gastonia Beautiful, contact Lehman at 704-866-6906 or visit their webpage.

Reach Janiya Winchester at (704)-869-1842 or jwinchester@gannett.com