Every day at about 9 a.m., Rick and Rose Coddaire grab their tools and hit the road.
The Coddaires, Red Bank retirees in their 70s, have become minor celebrities for their daily litter pick-ups along Mountain Creek Road.
They walk a five-mile loop each morning carrying plastic grocery bags and grabber tools to comb the sidewalks, medians and ditches for trash.
"You can pick up a dime with this," said Rick, triggering his grabber tool to lift a tiny piece of paper from the curb one morning last week.
They also pick up cigarette butts, fast-food debris, drink cans and any other trash that finds its way onto the busy roadway, which is lined with apartment and condominium complexes.
"We want to get rid of litter," said Rose, a retired systems analyst and dollmaker, who has sold dolls to celebrities such as Richard Simmons and Marie Osmond. "And one of the perks is that we meet lots of people."
Indeed, motorists along Mountain Creek Road often honk and give the couple thumbs-up. They are easy to spot in their red windbreakers.
The Coddaires moved here from Rhode Island in 2003 after learning about Chattanooga through an online questionnaire designed to match people with relocation destinations.
Avid mountain hikers in Rhode Island, the Coddaires found similar topography here, but with much milder winters. For a time, Rick worked for a Chattanooga-based trucking company.
The Coddaires said their daily walks, combined with counting calories, have improved their health. Rose said she has lost about 100 pounds in the last four years, and Rick has lost about 70 pounds.
"I told my doctor what I was doing at my last appointment and she was just thrilled," Rose said.
The Coddaires said they started picking up trash after they found themselves complaining to each other about litter on their daily walks.
"People get their McDonald's and their Burger King and they throw everything out," Rick said. "It was getting a little irritating."
Someone should do something about this, they agreed.
"Wait, I'm somebody," Rose said one day, and she has been picking up trash ever since.
Picking up trash is one thing, but picking up every cigarette butt on a major roadway is a different level of commitment.
"I like bending over," Rose said, while admitting that the grabber tool has helped. "After [bending over] for 100 cigarette butts you are over it."
Rick added, "Rose picked up a bird's nest one day and the whole thing was lined with cigarette [filter] fibers."
"Yeah, I have to get those butts outta there," Rose quipped.
The Coddaires said that while they were not the first walkers to pick up trash along Mountain Creek Road their work seems to have inspired others.
At first they each would fill up several plastic grocery bags on their daily walks, but now they can often go a whole walk without filling one bag. Other residents seem to be taking more pride in the area, too.
"One thing I've noticed is that other people are starting to pick up [litter]," said Rick.
There are other perks, as well.
Rose once found a crisp $20 bill on the sidewalk.
Another time the couple found a brand-new coat on the side of the road that still had store tags attached.
"It's great exercise, and it pays off," Rick said.
To suggest a human interest story for this column contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com.