The N.C. Department of Transportation’s crews, contractors and volunteers have collected this year 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.
Regionally, more than 800,000 pounds of litter have been collected this year in Highway Division 4, which covers Edgecombe, Halifax, Johnston, Nash, Wayne and Wilson counties.
“It’s great to see so many people working hard to keep our state looking clean and beautiful,” said Steve Adams, the Division 4’s roadside environmental engineer. “Our forces and contract crews can’t do it all. We see how volunteers can make a real difference in improving the appearance of our roads.”
Division 4’s success is owed, in part, to the 368 Adopt-A-Highway groups and the 90 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 by next month, 10.5 million pounds will have been collected for the year, breaking the 2019 record.
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
