CHAPIN, S.C. — Chapin residents say they have a litter problem and want to see something done about it.
Beer cans, stuffing and construction signs are scattered across the ground near roadways and highways in the Chapin area.
Residents say the litter problem has become especially out of hand over the last couple of years during the pandemic.
"We've also had a huge development surge happen, as well, during COVID, so a lot more traffic has come through," Chapin resident Laura LaSalle said. "We're bordering on three counties, and the highway's under construction, so a lot of off-put traffic comes through here, too, and trash just gets thrown. People don't care."
LaSalle, who has lived in Chapin for eight years, said it makes their town look bad.
"Unsightly. It takes property values down. It takes a long time to decay," LaSalle said. "We're bordering on the lake. It can get into wash areas. It's going to take a community, but really it's going to take the people in charge to make sure that those taxpayer dollars go to use."
When News 19 asked the Town of Chapin about the problem, officials responded by saying, "The town of Chapin has recognized an increased amount of debris and trash along the highway and roadways in our community, especially since the pandemic. The town doesn't have the manpower or capacity to manage the areas outside of our jurisdictional boundaries."
Some groups, like the "Ferry Keepers," have adopted a portion of the highway to combat the growing clutter.
"We had a stretch of road that had never been adopted, so I got our HOA to adopt that, and so they got the DOT road sign put up there, and so the entire stretch of Amicks Ferry's now covered," said Andrea Christiansen, Keep the Midlands Beautiful volunteer.
Christiansen said it's going to take a lot more effort from the community to make Chapin beautiful again.
To help, the Town of Chapin is hosting a community clean up day on April 9, 2022. For more details, you can email communications@chapinsc.com.
Keep the Midlands Beautiful is also hosting its quarterly clean-up this Saturday in Chapin, among other areas. To learn more or to sign up, email lblakeorr@kmbsc.org or aah@kmbsc.org.
