By April Garon

The Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ — Jadarius Ealey and Joey Bruce face dangers such as speeding vehicles and hiding snakes when pick up litter with Adams Country Litter Control Enforcement, but it’s not all bad — the job offers unexpected rewards too.

“I found a $100 bill on my birthday,” Ealey said.

The two college students and Natchez natives are working under the supervision of enforcement officer Paul Brooks to help keep the county clean and litter-free.

Ealey, a sophomore at Belhaven University, said the experience has left a lasting impression on him.

“When I’m riding in the car with friends, I talk to them about not throwing bottles out of the window,” Ealey said. “I even ask them to give me their trash instead so I can throw it away.”

The students said they go to all corners of the county picking up litter and finding dumpsites.

Bruce estimated that they had filled at least 130, 30-gallon trash bags with litter since they started on June 10. Playgrounds on Broadmoor and LaGrange are places Ealey and Bruce have cleaned up, and they painted a school building in Kingston as well.

But once Ealey and Bruce clean up an area, they said the job isn’t finished — it’s a constant battle.

“We had just cleaned an area up, and someone threw out a cup,” Ealey said. “It was so fresh it still had ice in it still.”

The Broadmoor community and other areas of the county are showing improvement though, Bruce said.

“It started out really bad, and now it’s nothing serious,” the junior at Alcorn State University said. “We had a big impact and helped in that area.”

At first, people seemed apprehensive about the litter team being in their community, but Ealey said that soon changed.

“People wave at us now,” Ealey said. “They spread the word as well to stop littering, and that shows in the improvement.”

One aspect of littering Ealey and Bruce said they learned about is the effect it has on the tourism industry.

“No one wants to go to an area that is trashed,” Bruce said. “If you go to a city that has a trash problem, you don’t want to stay long because of it.”

They spent one afternoon cleaning up a road near the Natchez-Adams County Port.

“There are a lot of investors coming through this area,” Brooks said. “It’s all about making as good an impression as possible, just as important as if you are a tourist coming through town.”

The two interns said the program has been a learning experience. They attend county board meetings.

“We listen to what goes on in the community,” Ealey said. “We are doing all types of things.”

Brooks said he is impressed with what they have learned and observed so far.

“They see me write up all kinds of complaints — everything from overgrown properties to abandoned trailers,” Brooks said. “They’ve experienced all that, and it carries into the real world.”