FRANKFORT — A Republican state senator who represents portions of Northern Kentucky has answered Gov. Paul Patton's call for a statewide anti-litter campaign.

        But Mr. Patton and Democratic leaders in the General Assembly are still expected to push for legislation mandating curbside garbage collection in all of Kentucky's counties.

        Sen. Ernie Harris, a Crestwood Republican, filed a bill last week that would establish KY-CLEAN, or KY—Commonwealth Litter Education Network, a 21-member organization that would coordinate an anti-litter effort through education, the media and cleanup programs.

        “The Commonwealth currently has several effective litter programs, but these are spread out over several agencies with no clear vision and lacking a central clearinghouse for information,” said Mr. Harris, who represents Grant and Gallatin counties in the legislature.

        “KY-CLEAN will serve as a central clearinghouse for anti-litter education materials and coordinate the activities of other programs within state government,” he said.

        Mr. Harris' bill calls for KY-CLEAN to be established this year by the legislature. He will likely ask for some state funding next year, but no specifics on the cost of the bill have been released.

        In addition to state money, the program will be funded with grants, a tax-return check off for contributions from the public and other sources that have not yet been identified.

        Last week, in his State of the Commonwealth address, Mr. Patton called for a new approach to cleaning up litter in Kentucky.

        “A comprehensive solid waste control program must include a systematic and thorough education element, to raise our awareness of the extent of the problem,” Mr. Patton said, “and to create in our minds and especially in the minds of our children to eliminate all unsightly solid waste.

        “Until we can change attitudes through education, we must have an effective highway cleanup program that includes all public roads,” Mr. Patton said.

        But Mr. Patton and other Democrats are backing legislation that would have a much broader reach than Mr. Harris' bill.

        Mr. Patton wants mandatory garbage collection in every county in Kentucky. That is not an issue in Northern Kentucky, where every county has garbage collection and most cities have curbside recycling service as well.

        But many rural counties do not have garbage collection, leaving residents to burn, bury or just disregard trash anywhere they can, often in illegal and unsightly dumps.

        House Majority Floor Leader Greg Stumbo, a Prestonsburg Democrat, has filed two bills dealing with garbage.

        One calls for the creation of statewide trash collection with recycling. The other sets up a statewide ballot issue on the so-called bottle bill, in which discarded beverage containers - including cans and bottles - would have a deposit. Instead of throwing out containers, people could return them to retailers to collect the deposit.

        But retailers are fighting the bill, which they say would increase the cost of beverages, and Republicans in Frankfort have vowed to fight attempts at passing a bottle bill.

        “That's not the way to go,” said Sen. Jack Westwood, an Erlanger Republican. “The bottle bill would come at a high cost to consumers.

        “I think Sen. Harris' bill is a very good idea,” he said. “It promotes education, which is one of the key ways to reduce litter, and it will set up plans to reduce litter.”

        Mr. Harris' bill would also create county or regional councils that would plan and coordinate local litter reduction and education efforts. The councils would present their plans to the KY-CLEAN board, which would provide grants to implement the programs.

        The board would include representatives of the legislature, the governor's office, environmental groups, retailers, the beverage industry and existing anti-litter organizations.

        Lawmakers will take up the bill in February, when they go to Frankfort for a legislative session that will last through March.

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