While litter remains a nagging problem in Bulloch County, a recent study by Keep Bulloch Beautiful shows it’s getting better.
    For the seventh consecutive year, members of the group’s Board traveled around the county to conduct the annual Litter Index. And in 2011, the county had the lowest score since the Index was started in 2005.
    “This year’s scan revealed a record low score showing us that our litter prevention efforts are not falling on deaf ears,” said Kelly Collingsworth, director of Keep Bulloch Beautiful Director. “I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. I’m so thankful for all of the volunteers who spend countless hours making sure that Bulloch County is kept beautiful for years to come.”
    The Litter Index grades the same four areas across the county year after year and identifies problem areas in need of attention. The Litter Index measures the degree of litter in a particular area on a scale of 1 to 4, with1 being the least littered and 4 being the most littered. In 2011, Bulloch scored a 1.64, which was down from 1.95 in 2010 and more than half a point lower than the worst recorded score of 2.17 in 2007.
    “The Litter Index is designed to measure progress over time,” Collingsworth said. “It helps identify what is effective – and what isn’t – in positively changing littering attitudes and behaviors and related community improvement issues.”
    According to the study, volunteers saw vast improvement throughout the county. The areas around Georgia Southern University improved since last year partly due to several volunteer litter pickups conducted by students around the campus. Each of the county’s downtown areas has also improved with less litter.
    On the needs improvement list were the unmanned dumpster sites located in the more rural areas of the county that continue to be an eye sore. Collingsworth said Keep Bulloch Beautiful would work with county officials and volunteers throughout the year to improve the identified problem areas.