Sumter Today: Volunteers help clean up their community

Litter has long been a topic of concern in Sumter County, but there are people in the community who are trying to tackle it.

Having trash on the side of the road has a bigger impact than just being unsightly. We’ve heard from business and community leaders that it has even prevented companies from moving here.

A byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic is that detention centers and state prisons aren’t sending inmates out to pick up litter from highways and roadways, so there is an increased need for groups like the one we tagged along with over the weekend.

The City of Sumter organized volunteers, including local Boy Scouts, for a community cleanup day, and while we were there we talked to the city’s first-ever litter officer about his job and the impact it’s making.