Since 1971, Washington’s statewide litter collection, waste reduction, and recycling programs have been funded by a tax on wrappers, bottles, and other items typically found in roadside litter.
The 0.015-percent tax on retail sales of these items generates about $11.4 million a year for the Waste Reduction Recycling and Litter Control Account.
- 50 percent of these funds go toward litter pickup and prevention
- 30 percent are used for waste reduction and recycling programs
- 20 percent go toward funding local government programs
In 2016, Ecology-funded programs picked up 5.3 million pounds of litter and cleaned 27,523 miles of road statewide. These programs include:
The Washington State Department of Transportation oversees the volunteer Adopt-A-Highway program.