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Laurel Hill Park is calling attention to its native insects while targeting a far less welcome park visitor: the “litter bug.”

The Lorton park and other sites across Fairfax County have struggled with trash left behind by visitors. Food wrappers, bottles, cans, plastic caps and scraps are frequently discarded on park grounds instead of placed in bins.

The debris is more than an eyesore. Litter can create fire risks and attract bacteria, rats, roaches and mosquitoes. Food waste also draws birds and small mammals into picnic areas, increasing the chance of unwanted encounters with people.

Keeping rentable picnic shelters clean has been particularly challenging for maintenance crews. Area Four maintenance operations, which covers Lorton, added a commercial-size dumpster in a concealed location near Laurel Hill Park after an employee proposed a more efficient system. Previously, trucks carrying bags of trash made frequent trips to an office collection site, sometimes several times a day or week.

Although Fairfax County owns a landfill, the Park Authority must pay to use it like other customers. Clean Fairfax estimates that Virginia spends about $5 million in taxpayer money each year cleaning up litter.

Fairfax County began charging a five-cent tax on disposable plastic bags in 2022 to discourage pollution and reduce plastic use. The program has reportedly eliminated the use of about 4 million bags, substantially reduced the number found as litter and generated $6 million for an environmental fund.

A grant from that fund paid for new anti-litter signs at Laurel Hill Park. The campaign focuses on other commonly discarded items and reinforces the message that littering is unacceptable.

Park volunteers and the Fairfax County Park Authority collaborated on the signs. Volunteers developed a draft inspired by the “Keep America Beautiful” campaigns of the 1960s, including the “Don’t Be a Litter Bug,” “Crying Indian” and “Susan Spotless” advertisements.

The design also teaches visitors about beneficial insects found in the park. Local macro insect photographer Judy Gallagher recommended colorful native species to contrast with the campaign’s ugly “litter bug.” Park Authority interns Amanda Dawson and Timothy Klopfer joined other staff members in refining the design, hiring a sign manufacturer and helping with installation.

The signs now stand at each of Laurel Hill Park’s rentable picnic shelters. Their effectiveness remains to be seen, but a previous sign campaign nearly eliminated a significant problem with dangerous and unsightly kite string after the park posted rules for kite flying.

For now, volunteers and people who collect litter while jogging are expected to continue watching for trash and helping keep the park clean.