Project First Impression:

Helping Keep Lawrence County Clean

They say you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and Project First Impression of Lawrence County aims to make sure that the first impression people have of our fair county is one of beauty and awe. Recently, Lawrence County was noted by the Ohio EPA as being the worst in Ohio in terms of litter and illegal dumping sites. 

In collaboration with the Lawrence-Scioto Solid Waste Management, Project First Impression is designed to get everyone, including law enforcement, mayors, officeholders and citizens working together to report and stop illegal dumping and littering across the county. 

Lawrence County is currently petitioning the state for further funds to continue developing the infrastructure of the area. Beyond that, the first steps are to create awareness about the problem and bring the county together to implement ideas and strategies to help fix it. Other potential ideas include placing cameras near prevalent dumping sites and harsher penalties for those caught littering. 

Syringes and needles are also a constant threat and a danger to the community. Having programs in place to dispose of these items was made possible by Our Lady of Bellefonte Hospital. 

Tires, which present another common dumping problem, have recently been removed from the Crown City Wildlife area around Chesapeake. An estimated 2,500 tires were found and properly disposed of. We would like to remind citizens of Lawrence County that there are currently a number of events that the district hosts each year to clean up the county, including allowing residents to bring items like appliances and tires. 

If you’ve seen or suspect illegal dumping, we want to hear from you. Please fill out the form below with as much information as you can give and we will take the necessary steps to investigate the issue in more detail. And of course, if you have any ideas on how to clean up the county, we’d love to hear from you!