Cal Trans Helps Keep Roads Clean Ahead of Earth Day

Earth Day is on Sunday and Cal Trans is already doing it’s part to help keep our planet clean. They’re promoting their statewide anti-litter campaign called Litter Stand Down, done in April to coincide with Earth Day.

All across the state, including our valley, workers have been picking up litter scattered along our roads and freeways. Last year, Cal Trans collected more than 100,000 tons of garbage along freeways from Riverside County to Blythe.

Anything from cigarette butts, fast food wrappers, soda and coffee cups, this year so far, Cal Trans already spent more than $1 million dollars on cleaning up California’s roads. The California Department of Transportation spends more than $41 million per year on litter removal.

Here are more statistics on littering from the Don’t Trash California program:

? Maintenance constituted about 12 percent of the California Department of Transportation highway expenditures in 2000-2001. This includes roadway repairs, landscape maintenance and improvements, and snow and litter removal.

? The California Department of Transportation, District 4, which is responsible for San Leandro-area freeways, conducted an intensive litter clean-up program as a test of the effort necessary to keep highways clean on a weekly basis and found that it would cost $50,000 just to clean five miles of highway.

? According to the California Department of Transportation, the number one littered item found along California freeways is cigarette butts.

? According to the Earth Resource Foundation, the current projected annual cost to public agencies in California for litter prevention, clean up and disposal is $375.2 million. The state will spend in excess of $72 million annually just to collect and dispose of cups and bags.

? Research indicates that litter comes from seven primary sources: pedestrians, drivers, household garbage cans, commercial dumpsters, construction sites, loading docks and uncovered trucks.

? Other litter found on freeways includes food cartons, Styrofoam cups, napkins, plastic utensils, snack-food wrappers, matches, soft drink bottles and cans, paper bags, tissues, plastic sheets, fi lm, boxes, clothes, newspapers, magazines, metal, foil, anti-freeze and motor oil containers, grease, paint and paint thinners, tires, and much more.

? Littering can cost drivers and their passengers a misdemeanor fine of $1,000 in the State of California.