WOOD RIVER - Rusty Wheat, known as the one-man “Chain Gain” working to keep Madison County roads clean, spoke to Wood River City Council members on Monday about the next phase of his fight to stop unregulated trash trucks from littering local highways.
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Wheat has a well-documented history of not only advocating for a cleaner community, but taking action to make it happen. In March of 2023, he asked the Madison County Board to “do a better job” regulating garbage trucks coming through the area from Missouri on their way to the Roxana Landfill.
He explained then - as he explained at this week’s meeting in Wood River - that the netting on the back of the garbage trucks is not sufficiently holding in the trash being transported, causing it to fall out and litter the sides of Highways 255 and 143.
Frustrated by the lack of action being taken, Wheat has been picking up trash by himself on a 1.3 mile stretch of Highway 143 - as well as Wanda Road and Moreland Road - over the past 60 weeks. To date, he estimates he’s picked up about 280 bags of trash under the “charter of [his] Chain Gang” under the Illinois Adopt-A-Highway code (a program he also advocated for Madison County to adopt).
Wheat has been spreading awareness about the issue by, among other things, helping organize the Madison County Earth Day Clean-Up, calling for anti-litter signs in the area, and “Talkin’ Trash” as a guest on several episodes of Our Daily Show! on Riverbender.com.
“I believe in my community,” Wheat said at Monday’s meeting. “I pushed to get the anti-litter signs on 143 and I think they're working - I think we’re winning this battle.”
Despite his best efforts as a one-main cleanup crew, the constant roadside litter remains a problem in need of a more sustainable solution. At Monday’s City Council meeting, he said he’d like to see similar anti-littering signs around Wood River, and announced he’s been working with Sen. Erica Harriss on a bill to enforce regulations and penalties on garbage truck operators.
Illinois House Bill 4848 would prevent anyone from operating a commercial vehicle transporting garbage or refuse unless the vehicle’s tailgate is properly repaired and secured “so as to prevent any load, residue, or other material from escaping.” Violations would be considered a petty offense punishable by a fine of up to $150 - but any person, firm, or corporation convicted of four or more violations within one year would be subject to additional $150 fines for each subsequent violation.
A full recording of the July 1, 2024 Wood River City Council meeting is available at the top of this story, on the Riverbender.com Facebook page, or on Riverbender.com/video. All Wood River City Council meetings can also be watched live or on demand on the Riverbender.com Facebook page, Roku app, or YouTube channel.
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