Soft drink cans and cigarette butts scattered along the roadside don't paint the picture local officials want the visitors who fuel Beaufort County's economy to see.

So each year thousands of dollars are spent and hundreds of volunteers are dedicated to litter pickup.

"First impressions count and it's vital that we maintain a good impression," said Charlie Clark, spokeswoman for the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, adding that the area's natural beauty draws many tourists.

Throughout the state, an estimated $8.5 million to $13 million each year is spent on litter cleanup, said Don Arnold, president of the S.C. Litter Control Association.

"Our No. 1 industry is tourism and we have to protect it," said Becky Barnes, campaign coordinator for PalmettoPride, the Governor's Council on Beautification and Litter.

A conference sponsored by the nonprofit group today through Wednesday in Columbia offers an opportunity for experts, law enforcement officers and public officials to discuss the litter problem and solutions, such as more Adopt-A-Highway programs and better enforcement of litter laws.

A representative from the Beaufort County Public Works Department and the Sheriff's Office will attend the meeting.

The goal of PalmettoPride is to focus on the need to enforce litter laws, educate the public, and make people aware of the need to pick up litter. Barnes said residents have become more aware of litter since the program began in 2000.

"It's about changing the behaviors that create the litter on the roads," Barnes said.

Beaufort County Sheriff P.J. Tanner said enforcing the litter laws can be complicated because the officer has to see the person litter to be able to write a ticket. Residents can call the county's Crime Stoppers hot line if they see someone littering, but if that person can't identify the person littering no ticket can be written.

In Beaufort County last year, 684 people picked up 119,700 pounds of trash as part of the state Department of Transportation's Adopt-A-Highway program. Statewide, 33,284 volunteers picked up 1.97 million pounds of trash, said Tina Hembree, community coordinator for the Transportation Department.

Veronica Miller, the Keep Beaufort County Beautiful coordinator, said the county's Adopt-A-Highway program has been expanding every year since it began in 1987 as a pilot program.