RALEIGH — The N.C. Department of Transportation’s crews, contractors and volunteers have collected more than 10 million pounds of litter from roadsides, nearly breaking the state’s record for litter collection set in 2019.
This announcement comes on the heels of the two-week Fall Litter Sweep, which saw more than 418,000 pounds of roadside litter picked up statewide.
“Ten million pounds of trash collected statewide, including nearly a half million pounds collected here in Division 8, is a milestone we wish we never had to witness,” said Division 8 Engineer Patrick Norman. “We will continue to combat litter and be thankful for our partners who help us in this effort, but what we’d really like to see is people making the right decision and putting trash where it belongs – which is not on our roadsides.”
Much of Division 8’s success is owed, in part, to the 311 Adopt-A-Highway groups and the 16 miles of roadside sponsored by private companies in the division. The department is always looking for more volunteer groups. Interested participants should visit ncdot.gov/DontTrashNC to see how they can get involved.
NCDOT officials estimate that the agency and its partners will break the 2019 record of 10.5 million pounds collected within a month.
If you spot someone littering from a vehicle, report them with NCDOT’s Swat-A-Litterbug app by downloading the app at ncdot.gov/litter.
Litter is unsightly, costs millions of dollars to clean up and can hurt the environment, tourism and the state’s quality of life. Everyone can do their part to prevent roadside litter by following these tips:
- Always secure your load
- Clear truck beds of any and all trash and debris before driving
- Never toss garbage from a vehicle
