Commissioner Hood Richardson was talking trash in Monday night’s regular meeting of the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners.

Richardson addressed the subject of littering: how much trash covers county roadsides and what ordinances were in place to prevent people from littering.

“It’s been a pet peeve of mine for a long time,” Richardson said.

Richardson complained of watching people flagrantly toss anything from cigarette packs to sandwich wrappers out of their vehicles while driving and referred to the litterers as having no respect for the law, for themselves and no respect for the environment.

Richardson said he wants a county ordinance in place that could be enforced by the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office or by North Carolina State Highway Patrol, and this ordinance could carry hefty fines.

The board agreed with the trash assessment of the county.

“This is something that’s needed to be looked at in Beaufort County for a long time,” said Commissioner Gary Brinn.

Commissioner Ron Buzzeo added another complaint: that of contractors spreading project-site mud and debris onto roadways, making them uneven and therefore unsafe for other drivers.

While Commissioner Jerry Langley agreed the county, and its residents, have a trash problem, he pointed out there is an existing state statute that addresses littering.

The board asked county Manager Brian Alligood to look into what ordinances other counties may have in place to reinforce the state statute.