Our "Litter and It Will Hurt" outreach campaign, reporting hotline, and litter studies ended in 2009. While our planned 2020 relaunch of this comprehensive campaign is on hold, we continue to work with partners across the state to identify opportunities to promote secured loads and litter prevention for safer, cleaner highways and public areas.
Litter and It Will Hurt
This successful education and outreach campaign previously included television and radio ads, a hotline to report littering, posters and billboards, and brochures. The program messaging was direct and effective: statistics show littering was reduced by 25 percent during the campaign.
Litter hotline
The outreach campaign also included highway signage and a litter hotline to report violators. Members of the public could report littering by calling 1-866-LITTER1 (866-548-8371).
Some signs remain along Washington roadways. The message is a good reminder of the fines and penalties that face those who litter. If someone calls to report a violator, they hear a recorded message saying the program was discontinued due to budget cuts.
The Washington State Patrol and local law enforcement agencies continue to enforce Washington’s laws if they observe or receive reports of littering.
Litter studies
Researching how much material is littered, what types of material ends up as litter, and where people are littering helps inform litter prevention efforts.
Past studies