Don’t Trash Arizona Design a Litterbag Contest – No More Submissions

Thanks to everyone who entered our Don’t Trash Arizona Design A Litterbag Contest.  We’re looking over the entries, and can’t wait to print the winning design on 25,000 official Don’t Trash Arizona litter bags!

Litter: It’s Ugly. It’s Unhealthy. It’s Unsafe.

Litter along our state and regional roadways brings with it a huge cost.  Not only does it cost taxpayers money to pick up litter, but there are other economic, environmental and health costs as well.  So why do people litter our freeways? Some believe that one small piece of trash won’t matter, but those small pieces have added up to a giant problem. An important litter fact to note is that nearly 150,000 bags of trash are being picked up off Valley freeways each year, so it is no wonder that litter:

• Ruins our beautiful desert vistas.
• Leads to traffic accidents and freeway delays.
• Impacts our economy as tourists and new businesses fail to return due to a poor impression.

Who Does It?

Today, there are two types of drivers who litter—those who deliberately toss items from their car window and those who accidentally lose items from loads not properly secured. No matter how debris makes it onto Valley roadways, it is ugly and poses a threat to drivers who must swerve to avoid hitting it.

What Can You Do?

The first step is to take the Don’t Trash Arizona “Safe Loads = Safe Roads Pledge.” With it, you pledge to keep Valley roads cleaner and safer. You also will receive immediate tips for reducing litter, as well as be entered for a chance to win a Don’t Trash Arizona vinyl tarp for securing your own loads! One lucky winner is selected each month,.

Step two is to secure your load. Fallen debris from vehicles can pose a series danger to other drivers and is a major contributor to the freeway litter issue. Each year, approximately 25,000 accidents are caused from dangerous debris on roadways, some of which are fatal.

In addition to being incredibly dangerous, fallen debris accounts for 40 percent of litter on the freeways and roadway.  This careless form of littering occurs when drivers fail to properly secure their load during transport. .Litter can also end up . on roadways is when it blows from a truck bed or out of a car window. While these types of litter are deemed “accidental,” they are preventable. One solution is to keep a litter bag in your vehicle at all times.

What We Do.

In response to concerns about our environment and the health and safety impacts of roadway litter in Arizona, the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG), in conjunction with the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), has embarked on a Litter Education and Prevention Program to help reduce the amount of litter on Valley and state freeways. The message is simple: Don’t Trash Arizona!

What does Arizona’s monsoon have to do with litter?

Most people wouldn’t associate litter with Arizona’s monsoon, but there are some direct correlations. Sure, everyone loves the rain that monsoon brings, but rain can carry unwanted pollutants to the State’s waterways.

One of the biggest transmitters of pollution into the water supply is cigarette butts. Cigarette butts also happen to be the most commonly littered item on or freeways. Containing a variety of toxic chemicals, 95 percent of cigarette butts also have filters made of cellulose acetate, a plastic that is slow to degrade in the environment.

So as Monsoon storm water is carried through storm drains it can carry discarded cigarette butts directly into waterways. If untreated, this storm water can soak into ground water; flow into canals and into recreational areas such as lakes and rivers, contaminating them.

In addition to rain, monsoon brings strong winds. Those winds can pose a threat to drivers carrying loads that aren’t properly secured. Unsecured loads can result in large debris falling onto the roadways. Haven’t we all seen the odd mattress or chair on the side of the road? But, when those items land in the middle of the highway, innocent debris becomes dangerous debris. Dangerous debris leads to approximately 25,000 accidents each year, some of which are fatal.

If not dangerous, what is that debris? It’s also ugly. Items that fall from vehicles, either from high monsoon winds or from unsecured loads become litter. Litter that is later removed at the expense of taxpayer dollars. So before you carelessly toss that cigarette butt out your vehicle’s window or before you transport a load, remember litter is ugly, unhealthy and unsafe during monsoon and every other season.

Source: http://ag.arizona.edu/maricopa/garden/html/weather/monsoon.htm