Major takeaway food businesses in Mount Gambier and Millicent will be asked to take measures to encourage their customers from discarding their rubbish on roadsides.
Wattle Range Council decided it would write to the businesses after a 6/4 vote on a notice of motion from Councillor Dale Price which was submitted to the monthly meeting in Millicent on Tuesday.
The tight vote followed several minutes of debate involving Mayor Des Noll, seven councillors and three senior staff.
Cr Price said his wife Ruth voluntarily collects three bags of rubbish each week from Kangaroo Flat Road at Glencoe while there was always such a mess near the radio towers on the Princes Highway at Compton.
Cr Chris Brodie suggested an education program for customers was worthy of consideration while Cr Sharon Cox said an advertising campaign was appropriate.
Cr David Walshaw lightened the tone of the debate when he spoke of the absence of roadside litter during his travels to Canada.
“The rubbish was eaten by bears and so we could have a bear migration program to the South East,” Cr Walshaw joked.