International Falls resident Arnie Johnson wishes that people would be more conscientious about where they throw their trash.
“It bothers me each spring to see litter. I hate to see trash along the highways, roadways and trails” he said. “We need to educate people not to do it.”
Johnson pointed to the decades-old “Keep Minnesota Green” program that focused on preventing wildfires and indiscriminate forestland burning as a blueprint of what could be done to help the litter situation. He thinks a coordinated, educational effort is needed to remind people what to do with their trash.
He said that he would rather see the effort used to pick up trash being spent in a proactive way, such as planting trees in the community.
“Kids are going to be the future — it has to start with the kids,” Johnson said. “It’s going to take a while.”
Johnson has spent much time in nature as well as contemplating what is best for the area’s environment. He was the Koochiching County land commissioner and was chief forester for more than 50 years.
“People don’t think when they throw stuff out the window what they’re doing,” he said.
Johnson noted that the problem is not as bad as in some larger cities, but that it is a national issue.
Dale Olson, with the Koochiching County Environmental Services Department, agrees that the area is not among the worst nationally, but that a better job could be done keeping the area free from trash.
“In general, I don’t think the county is too messy,” Olson said. “A certain percent don’t go by the rules. I think it’s a pretty small percent.”
Olson said that his team gets several complaints per month from residents and visitors asking them to clean up a specific area. He said that it is a “rare occasion” when he needed to work with law enforcement to stop continuing problems. If a problem were persistent or bad enough, it would be sent to the county’s Public Health Nuisance Committee.
The Environmental Services Department is the contact for local questions about dumping, litter cleanup and the transfer stations. Environmental Services manages 14 recycling sites and eight garbage sites in the county.
Trash centers are located just outside International Falls and in Birchdale, Loman, Littlefork, Big Falls, Mizpah, Ray and Silverdale.
Olson explained that each center has specific hours and is able to handle only certain types of trash. Some larger items and hazardous waste need special care and cannot be taken at each site. Olson said to call and ask about these items on a case-by-case basis.
Recycling and yard waste disposal are free. However, garbage, tires, large appliances, building debris, televisions and other electronics have fees. Fees differ depending on the items to deposit — some items carry their own fee and others can be bundled together and paid for by size.
“I suppose it is easier, but it’s not right,” Olson said of littering. “The opportunity is there to get rid of almost anything.”
Olson estimated that last year, 8,700 vehicles used the transfer station for recycling, 8,000 vehicles came with trash, 5,000 loads of yard waste and another 350 used the center for household hazardous waste.
That equals more than 20,000 visits per year bringing more than 15 million pounds of refuse, or enough to fill 400 semi-trucks.
Olson said that besides his department and law enforcement, the “Sentence to Serve” crews were out several times each year to collect trash on roadsides.
These crews and the Adopt-a-Highway program work to keep the roadsides clean.
“They are very dedicated volunteers with a never-ending challenge,” said John Bray, special assistant to the district engineer for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, about the Adopt-a-Highway crews.
He said that there are more than 700 crews, each cleaning 2 miles of roadway in the spring and fall. In the northeast Minnesota District 1, which includes International Falls, Virginia and Duluth, there are 1,600 miles of highways to clean.
“It’s bad all over statewide,” Bray said of roadside litter. “Unfortunately, the vast majority of Minnesotans act like pigs. Luckily we have the volunteers.
“[One of the greatest impacts] is on tourists, that they don’t see all that litter on the side of the road that creates blight,” Bray said.
According to MnDOT, Adopt-a-Highway volunteers save the state $6.9 million every year. Bray said that without the volunteer efforts, the cleanup funds would have to come from taxpayers.
“It’s better to spend time and money doing something for the future,” Johnson said. “I would like to see people get behind an effort to do something about it.”
