At first glance, the news that Robeson County ranks 17th among the 100 counties in the state in the number of groups and adopted miles in the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Adopt-A-Highway program appears to be sufficient for a self-applied pat on the back.

But a deeper dive, or just a look sideways and around, reveals that we don’t have a lot to be boasting about and, quite simply, should be ashamed.

We aren’t talking about the 80 or so groups in Robeson County that have met a civic responsibility, and agreed to take on the task of sweeping litter from the roadside of a two-mile stretch of highway at least four times a year. They deserve our thanks for making this county not only more pleasing aesthetically, but also a more inviting place for professional people and industry looking in our direction. No one wants to live in a dump.

Instead, we are talking about the fact that Robeson County — we will go ahead and say it — is one of the trashiest counties in North Carolina when it comes to roadside litter. Don’t believe it? Look around as recent rains have once again lifted the trash up and deposited it back in plain view — a good thing, because we need to be reminded of the problem, and the litter is now within easier reach.

The fact that we rank 17th among the state’s 100 counties is less a result of Robeson County residents bending over to clean up the mess than it is a reflection of the sheer number of highway miles we have in this county, about 1,800 of them, ranking us third in North Carolina behind Wake and Guilford counties.

The number of highway miles for Robeson County is of course a blessing, ushering travelers through our county who are heading in all directions, and many of whom stop to gas up, have a bite, or perhaps even spend the night. Tourism has become one of our most dependable industries.

But that many miles of roads also leaves a lot to clean up, and the Adopt-A-Highway program, while critical, is effectively doing no more than treating a symptom of a self-loathing community. The road to more pristine roadsides is not picking up the trash that is left behind others, but in persuading people not throw to trash out of the car window at all.

Enforcement of litter laws can be part of that, as can strategically placed cameras that capture the culprits, a notion that was floated last week during a meeting of the Clean and Green Committee.

But we are much more enthused by a program proposed by Commissioner David Edge called Project Trash Talk. The program launched in October with an art contest in the schools designed to find a logo of a Highway Hawk that will become symbolic for the program.

But the real work begins next month, when elementary teachers from across the county will get together to discuss a curriculum that will be used the week of April 20 to April 24, which coincides with Earth Day, that will educate children on why they should not litter and the consequences of doing so.

We believe, given ample time, that our younger children can be taught not to toss litter onto the roadside, something that has been too tall a task for the so-called adults in this county. In this sense, our children are literally being given the chore of cleaning up our mess.