South Carolina Law > Code of Laws > Title 48

SECTION 48-54-10. Take Palmetto Pride in Where You Live Commission established.

(A) There is established the Take Palmetto Pride in Where You Live Commission under the auspices of, and staffed by, the Department of Natural Resources. The commission shall serve as the lead agency for statewide litter removal, litter reduction and prevention, and litter law enforcement through facilitating communication, cooperation and coordination of the efforts and resources of state agencies, local governments, the private profit and nonprofit sectors, business, and industry.

(B) The commission is comprised of:

(1) the Director of the Department of Natural Resources, or his designee, who shall serve as the chairperson of the commission;

(2) the Director of the Department of Transportation, or his designee, who shall serve as the vice chairperson of the commission;

(3) the Director of the Department of Corrections or his designee;

(4) the Director of the Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services, or his designee;

(5) the Director of the Department of Public Safety, or his designee;

(6) the Director of Court Administration, or his designee;

(7) the Director of Palmetto Pride, or his designee;

(8) the Director of Keep America Beautiful South Carolina, or his designee;

(9) the Executive Director of the Municipal Association of South Carolina, or his designee;

(10) the Executive Director of the South Carolina Association of Counties, or his designee;

(11) the Executive Director of the South Carolina Sheriff's Association, or his designee; and

(12) the President of the South Carolina Trucking Association, or his designee.

(C) The members of the commission shall serve ex officio and payment of any mileage, per diem, or subsistence is the responsibility of the department or organization the member represents.

(D) The commission must be staffed by the Department of Natural Resources and shall meet at least twice a year and at any time upon the call of the chair.

(E) In carrying out its responsibilities pursuant to this chapter, the commission may convene ad hoc committees as it considers necessary and utilize the assistance and expertise of other agencies, organizations, and resources to improve litter removal, reduction and prevention, and litter law enforcement in this State.

(F) All agencies of the State and local governments shall cooperate with the commission in carrying out its responsibilities pursuant to this chapter.

HISTORY: 2015 Act No. 8 (H.3035), Section 2, eff April 2, 2015.

SECTION 48-54-20. Survey and evaluation of litter issues in state.

The commission shall survey the incidence of litter violations and the primary type and locations of litter in this State; the system, frequency, method, and personnel used in the removal of litter; the existence and sponsorship of litter reduction and prevention programs and campaigns; and the incidence of litter law enforcement and prosecution in this State. The commission also shall evaluate ongoing public and private programs and campaigns addressing these litter issues including the value, effectiveness, and duplication of these programs and campaigns. This data must be utilized in developing the Strategic State Plan for Litter, as provided for in Section 48-54-30, and as a baseline for measuring the effectiveness of programs and campaigns undertaken pursuant to this plan.

HISTORY: 2015 Act No. 8 (H.3035), Section 2, eff April 2, 2015.

SECTION 48-54-30. Development of Strategic State Plan for Litter.

(A) To provide effective, statewide litter removal, reduction and prevention, and litter law enforcement, the commission shall develop a Strategic State Plan for Litter, which must be balanced and comprehensive, but flexible and dynamic in order to be revised and expanded to encompass new innovations, methods, and resources.

(B)(1) The plan must address the overall goal of reducing litter through developing coordinated, cost-effective, and efficient methods of litter removal, litter reduction and prevention, and litter law enforcement.

(2) To perform litter removal activities, the plan must:

(a) identify and prioritize sites for litter removal and determine ways to expand the pool of individuals performing litter removal;

(b) identify and coordinate state agencies, local governments, and private profit and nonprofit organizations that will engage in litter removal and identify their roles and responsibilities in the performance of litter removal including the responsibility of removal of animal carcasses;

(c) facilitate the development of policies and procedures to be utilized by state agencies, local governments, and private profit and nonprofit organizations for litter removal including, but not limited to, scheduling and coordinating litter removal, providing transportation and supervision of individuals performing litter removal, and determining methods and systems for the litter removal process, including the pickup of collected, removed litter; and

(d) develop and facilitate the use of interagency agreements or memoranda of agreements under which state agencies, local governments, and private profit and nonprofit organizations can coordinate and cooperate in fulfilling their litter removal obligations under the plan.

(3) To carry out litter reduction and prevention, the plan must:

(a) identify and evaluate existing public education and awareness programs and campaigns for continuation, modification, or consolidation;

(b) publicize and promote participation in litter reduction and prevention programs and campaigns; facilitate the communication, coordination, and cooperation among state agencies, local governments, private profit and nonprofit organizations, business, and industry participating in litter reduction and prevention programs and campaigns; and

(c) conduct research on the development of new and innovative public awareness and education programs including the development of litter programs for schools and community organizations and the development of public awareness through media outlets and other public means.

(4) To increase the enforcement of litter law violations, the plan must:

(a) educate law enforcement and the judiciary about the detrimental impact of litter in this State and the role and importance of enforcing litter laws;

(b) publicize and promote existing methods of effective reporting of litter law violations;

(c) conduct research and evaluate how other states and jurisdictions have increased enforcement of litter laws.

(5) The plan must include the awarding of meaningful recognition and effective incentives to promote and encourage participation in appropriate litter removal, reduction and prevention, and litter law enforcement programs and campaigns.

HISTORY: 2015 Act No. 8 (H.3035), Section 2, eff April 2, 2015.

SECTION 48-54-40. Biennial review and evaluation of strategic plan; report.

(A) Biennially, the commission shall review and evaluate its Strategic State Plan for Litter to identify areas of progress and improvement in attaining the overall goal of reducing litter in this State and barriers to achieving this goal. Accordingly, the commission shall revise the plan to incorporate its findings.

(B) The commission biennially, following its review and evaluation of its Strategic State Plan for Litter, shall submit a report in writing to the General Assembly before November sixteenth in even numbered years, beginning in 2016. The report must include, but is not limited to, the extent programs and campaigns for litter removal, reduction and prevention, and litter law enforcement have made progress in reaching the overall goal of litter reduction in this State; the extent the commission has been successful in facilitating the coordination and cooperation among state agencies, local governments, and private profit and nonprofit organizations in the development and implementation of programs and campaigns undertaken pursuant to the Strategic State Plan for Litter; whether the incidence of litter violations have decreased and whether the enforcement of litter laws and prosecutions have increased; measurements of the effectiveness of litter removal, reduction and prevention, and litter law enforcement programs and campaigns; new programs implemented; and recommendations for legislative changes needed to assist the commission in achieving the overall goal of litter reduction and in carrying out its duties and responsibilities under this chapter.

HISTORY: 2015 Act No. 8 (H.3035), Section 2, eff April 2, 2015.