2023 Keep Warner Robins Beautiful

HISTORY
As some of you may know Warner Robins Beautiful
is facing its 38th anniversary! One of the most common
questions addressed by KWRB is “How did you get
started?” We’d like to take this opportunity to answer.
On December 11, 1985, the City of Warner Robins was
officially certified by Keep America Beautiful, Inc. to
implement the Clean Community System, an innovative,
behaviorally-based waste management program. Since
certification, Keep Warner Robins Beautiful has remained
a member in good standing of Keep America Beautiful,
Inc., a nationwide network of clean community systems,
and a state affiliate of Keep Georgia Beautiful. Focus
items include recycling education, litter prevention and
eradication, community greening and beautification,
waste reduction, community involvement, and public
awareness.
The organization was created by ordinance #65-85
of the City Code and was originally named the Clean
Community Commission. Members appointed by then-
Mayor Ralph Johnson included Wiley Bowman, Sharon
Cox, Curtis Dempsey, Ed Dyson, Ann Greer, Paul Hibbitts,
LaVerne Norris, Carolyn Prince, Al Satterwhite, Nedra
Spurlock and Leo Turner. Ed Martin, who also served as
Mayor of Warner Robins 1988– 1991 was appointed to
serve as Executive Director.
Since that time, KWRB has evolved into a 22-member
volunteer organization, staffed by a full-executive director,
and is located in the old bank building next to City Hall
within the department of Community and Economic
Development. KWRB continues to work closely with
other city entities, including Code Enforcement, Public
Works, Storm Water, and Recreation, to fulfill its mission
to “Educate the public and promote interest in the
improvement of the environment…”
LITTER AWARENESS
As we look around our beautiful country, we
all too often see plastic bottles, cans, glass bottles,
polystyrene containers and cups, plastic, paper
and a whole lot of other rubbish littering our
streets, our parks, alongside our highways, our
neighborhoods, our shopping areas, our rivers
and many other places in our environment.
No city/county department or waste company
can keep a community clean when residents
continue to randomly litter and dump trash
illegally. If citizens join in to clean up their
environment and then keep it clean, we will have
a cleaner, safer, and more hygienic city to enjoy.
Does It Matter If We Litter? With so many
other important issues such as crime, health
concerns, abuse, and joblessness, should we care
about whether we put our litter in the bin (or
recycle where possible)? Should we care if the
environment in which we live is kept clean?
YES! It does matter and we should care. Keep
America Beautiful recently conducted a study
estimating 50 billion pieces of litter along U.S.
roadways and waterways. That equates to 152
pieces of litter for every U.S. resident! Together,
we can tackle this number in our town to Keep
Warner Robins Beautiful.
WHY? Litter is both an environmental and a
social issue.Read more
• It’s unsightly. It reduces the aesthetic appeal
of public places including streets, parks and
waterways.
• It costs the community huge sums of money
and time to clean up every year.
• It causes blockages of the drainage system and
causes flooding which costs millions of dollars to
repair. This is money that can be better spent on
housing and education.
• When it gets into our waterways - rivers, dams
and the ocean - it can kill aquatic life directly and
indirectly through its impacts on water quality.
• It decreases oxygen levels when it decays in
water.
• It kills rivers, and because water is such a precious
resource and we have a limited supply, we need to
preserve and cherish our rivers and waterways,
which are the lifeblood of the environment.
Waterways provide homes for wildlife and plants,
water supplies for homes, industries and farms,
and places of recreation and enjoyment for us all.
• It can be dangerous to people, particularly when
it involves items such as broken glass, rust, and
other penetrating objects.
• It can be a fire hazard, such as when lit cigarettes
are thrown out of passing cars.
• It harms birds because they may choke on
plastic, chewing gum, or any other litter that gets
stuck in their throats.
• It breeds rats which carry diseases, destroy
and eat crops and food, and chew electrical and
telephone cables.
• It promotes illness.
• It encourages crime since. Areas that appear
uncared for are seen to be unprotected and,
therefore, easier targets.
• It manifests a culture of disrespect for others in
public areas.
• It diminishes the pride people have in their
environment.
• It creates a culture of lack of caring.
• It costs the municipalities a lot more money to
clean up the litter than it costs them to empty
bins.
KEEP THE ROADS CLEAR,
WE DON’T LITTER HERE!
18 2023 Keep Warner Robins Beautiful
LOCALLY OWNED
HARDWARE | NURSERY
GARDEN CENTER | ANIMALS
NURSERY
GARDEN CENTER
HARDWARE
ANIMALS/SEASONAL
478-923-9707
602 GA-247, Bonaire, GA