STATE HAUL-AS-YOU-GO POLICY

State park visitors asked to help with trash

Carmen Preidt, a seasonal park employee at Caesar Creek, picks up trash in a restroom. Park officials will provide free, biodegradable trash bags to help visitors comply with the new haul-as-you-go trash policy at 30 of the 74 state parks.

Staff photo by Ron Alvey Carmen Preidt, a seasonal park employee at Caesar Creek, picks up trash in a restroom. Park officials will provide free, biodegradable trash bags to help visitors comply with the new haul-as-you-go trash policy at 30 of the 74 state parks.

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By Steve Bennish, Staff Writer Updated 2:04 AM Tuesday, June 30, 2009

There’s a ray of hope for the litter-challenged who insist on not following the haul-as-you-go trash policy and befouling Ohio state parks.

If visitors will just stop by the park offices, park workers will provide free, biodegradable trash bags.

However, it’s up to you to see that the bags are filled, and you must take them with you when you leave the park.

Strapped by historic underfunding, $500 million in backlogged maintenance needs and even more dire budget projections, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has pulled trash cans from day-use areas at 30 of 74 state parks.

By canceling trash service beginning last year, ODNR has racked up $53,000 in savings. The program does not include campgrounds or other areas in parks where overnight accommodations or fee facilities are in place.

The policy went into effect Memorial Day at Caesar Creek in Waynesville and Cowan Lake in Wilmington — big weekend getaway locales for Miami Valley outdoors lovers. In the aftermath of the change, Caesar Creek beach has been especially hard hit by litter bugs.

Tim Carr, regional manager for Caesar, Cowan and the Little Miami Trail, is working to educate visitors. He’s putting up bigger signs about the policy and is dispatching crews to police trash left behind.

“We recognize people aren’t ready for the full-bore program,” Carr said. “We’ll give them a crutch.”

ODNR is hopeful that ultimately, the program will help eliminate odors and mess around trash collection sites and reduce wildlife dependency on trash as a food source. At Caesar and Cowan, it’s hoped the policy will save $5,000 annually.

Statewide media coverage last week about the trash policy brought the Division of Parks and Recreation 13 e-mails and five phone calls from the public, ODNR said.

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