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In February 2010, Pike County native Frank Fryer of Naperville, Illinois, wrote a letter to the editor of The Messenger expressing his pride in his home state but his dismay at the litter along the Pike County road system.

Fryer wrote that Pike County citizens should be outraged about the desecration of the beautiful countryside by unthinking motorists who were littering the roadways.

“In (recent) weeks while visiting family I have picked up little along stretches of Pike County roads 4408 and 5511 and Alabama Highway 93, all in the Pronto community, near our family farm,” Fryer wrote. “I have filled over twenty 30-gallon tie bags with someone refuse and I am sickened to think that these roadways will soon be littered again.”

Fryer wrote that litter is a blight on Pike County’s beautiful landscape and it is up to each citi-zen of Pike County to do his/her part in taking pride in Pike County.

Fast forward to February 27, 2021.

Fryer and his wife, Wynnette, who have a home in Brundidge, were back in Pronto Thursday picking up litter along the same county roads as 11 years ago.

“Nothing has changed,” Fryer said. “The roadsides are littered with everything from paper products and aluminum cans to tires and household items. And, it’s not just on these county roads at Pronto. It’s all over the county and all around that state.”

Fryer said other states don’t trash their roadways.

“Especially the western states,” he said. “We don’t have this kind of problem in Illinois. Go to Iowa, Nebraska, Utah, Wyoming and you won’t see littered roadways. It’s hard to understand why people toss litter out the car window when they could just as easily bag it and drop it in a trash container at home.”

The Fryers picked up 16 large trash bags of litter along less than half-mile stretch of roadway at Pronto –paper products, plastic and glass bottles, aluminum cans, Styrofoam containers, garbage and unidentified items.

One motorist had stopped to change a tire and left behind the flat tire, the car jack, one and a half cinder blocks, a tied bag of garbage and another open bag with trash blowing everywhere.

“When we are out picking up litter, some people will stop and say how much they appreciate our efforts,” Fryer said. “Our hopes are that others will give a second thought to littering. Pike County has a beautiful landscape; let’s keep it that way.”