Now that spring has arrived, motorists have surely noticed the damage roadways sustained over the winter as a result of the cycle of freezing and thawing, as well as the wear and tear the process of snow removal brings.

Potholes are everywhere, and some are big enough to be considered landmarks. While there’s money in the budget for road repairs, it’s unfortunate that a lot of funding that could otherwise be spent fixing roads is instead being spent to battle another nagging problem.

Each year before mowing season begins, the Ohio Department of Transportation spends millions of dollars on litter pick-up. Last year, ODOT spent $4.4 million and 206,221 hours picking up 392,305 bags of trash. In our local District 11, ODOT crews spent $115,469 and 5,258 hours picking up 11,059 bags of trash.

Litter not only makes an eyesore out of the roadways and neighborhoods through which they run, it also results in a need to basically waste a considerable amount of valuable time and money to battle the problem.

ODOT officials noted that the money spent each year on litter pick-up could instead be used to install 323 culverts, pave 40 miles of a two-lane road, install 340 miles of guardrail or purchase 28 snowplow trucks.

This is a preventable situation, and it’s a shame that it has become such a big problem. People should take pride in their communities and should know better than to be so careless, apathetic and inconsiderate.

The only way to combat this issue is through education and to lead by example.

Last week, ODOT and Keep Ohio Beautiful kicked off the Great American Cleanup. Maintenance crews throughout east-central Ohio picked up litter during a cleanup blitz in targeted areas. They were joined by volunteers made up of citizens, neighborhood groups, businesses and organizations to pick up litter.

It’s sad that people have to invest their time in such an effort, but we certainly tip our hats to those who step up to the plate, lead by example and get it done.

Hopefully these cleaned roadways will remain litter-free and help inspire litter bugs to stop throwing their trash – and our taxpayers’ money – out the window.