It is no secret the city of Selma as well as the county have an issue when it comes to garbage. There are illegal dump sites all over the city and county, and trash is strewn allover roadsides.

Sea Coast Disposal, who picks up garbage for the city, will start picking up between 700 to 1,000 cans Monday for customers that are behind on their payments. According to Sea Coast, that is around a third of their customers. That isn’t their only problem though. There are also thousands of residents that are not even signed up for service, which is required by city ordinance.

When those 700 to 1,000 cans get picked up, where will all that garbage go? Probably not where it is supposed to.

Enough is enough. Responsibility has to be taken. The people who are behind on their garbage bill should get caught up, and the people who are not even signed up should get with the program.

Instead of just tossing trash on the ground or finding some place to take it where it does not belong, take responsibility.

People are sick and tired of seeing garbage all over the place. Volunteer groups have tried to make an impact by picking up, but the next day the areas they have cleaned up are already trashed again. That is a shame.

Next week, the Selma City Council’s Public Works and General Service Committee will hold a public hearing for landlords in the city. The committee wants to discuss ideas to make a dent in this issue, such as asking landlords to add the fee into the lease or even asking legislators to add it on to property taxes. Something has got to give.

We encourage all landlords to attend this meeting. The city has asked landlords in the past to provide proof of garbage service for tenants, but only a few cooperated. So please, come to meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2017, at 6 p.m. at Selma City Hall. This is a major issue that needs to be fixed.