Pearl River County roads seem to be used as personal trash cans for many residents and sometimes outside visitors take in on themselves to pick the trash up.

A couple from Rochester, Minn. came to the area in their RV to visit their daughter who lives in Slidell, La., and during the stay the couple is making the most of their time. Jaque Deetz said she and her husband, Bob, are retired and travel the country in their RV. Occasionally, they pick up trash along the sides of littered roads.

During their spare time, which they say they have a lot of since they have been retired for the past two years, the Deetz like to keep busy and get outdoors in the sunshine by picking up trash in the areas they visit.

“We travel the country to see the country and if we see trash in the area, we will pick it up,” Jaque Deetz said.

They usually pick up trash in the RV park they park in, but since they noticed the park they are currently in, Sun Roamers RV Park, is pretty well maintained, they chose littered Lowell Road next door. A few trips they took down that road revealed that it was not as well maintained in terms of litter, so they took it upon them selves to clean it up.

The couple has been to places like California and Washington and have seen many areas that could use a good cleaning, but they did not stop. However, they did stop here and noticed the need for cleaning.

While conducting the voluntary cleanup, Bob Deetz said he found a car tire, a car door and a radiator of some kind in the tall grass along the road, along with numerous other pieces of trash. About halfway through the day the couple had about six or seven bags full of the trash they picked up from the side of the road. Most of the items they picked up so far consisted of bottles, cans and other items that did not belong on the side of the road.

“I haven’t found a $500 dollar bill in it though,” Bob Deetz said. “They don’t throw those out.”

The litter they stuffed in the bags was found in less than the length of a city block of the road they had cleaned. The couple said the bags of trash they picked up would be collected by the staff at Sun Roamers RV Park and added to the park’s outgoing trash.

When told of the upcoming Pick it up Picayune effort, they said they would like to participate. The city-wide cleanup starts at the Picayune City Hall this Saturday at 8 a.m. and goes on until 2 p.m. when participants will meet back at City Hall for a picnic.

The Deetz plan to stay in the area until April 9, when they will head north to Minnesota to spend some time in a county park. There they will take over duties as park hosts where they will maintain the grounds and help other park visitors in exchange for a free place to park their RV for the summer. Until then they plan to finish what they started here.

“By then we should have this road pretty much cleaned up,” Jaque Deetz said.