Every year, almost 38 million pounds of litter is dropped on Washington’s highways, roads and public areas. That’s about five pounds of trash for every person in the state.

Beyond simply being unsightly, litter can harm water quality and pose safety risks to travelers. To reduce littering, the state Department of Ecology is working with the Department of Transportation, State Patrol and other agencies to launch the “Simple As That” campaign. 

The state spends more than $12 million each year picking up litter, and paid crews and volunteers collected a record 11.2 million pounds in 2023. However, even that record-setting effort still only addresses a fraction of the problem. 

A 2022 statewide litter study found that the most commonly littered items include cigarette butts, food wrappers and snack bags, glass bottles, and construction and demolition debris. 

“We spend millions each year to clean our roads – but it costs nothing for each of us to do the right thing and pick up after ourselves,” said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. “Whether it’s keeping a trash bag in your car or making sure your cargo is securely strapped down, every one of us can do something to protect Washington’s natural beauty and prevent serious hazards on our highways. It really is as simple as that.”

Litter is a big problem with a simple solution — everyone in Washington doing their part. The “Simple As That” campaign and its partners are promoting a litter free Washington by encouraging Washingtonians to:

• Keep a litter bag in your car. Use a litter bag while traveling to keep your vehicle tidy and reduce the chances of littering accidentally when you open a door or window. When visiting parks and other recreation areas, bring a bag with you so it’s easy to pack out what you carried in. 
• Hold on to trash while traveling until you reach your destination or a waste bin at a stop along the way. It may not seem like a big deal to toss the occasional bag or bottle on the ground, but those decisions add up to millions of pounds of litter (and millions of dollars of clean up) every year.
• Live litter free and help others do the same. Make sure your friends and family know how to live litter free and help them make good choices. When we all look out for each other, it makes a big difference for our state.

The “Simple As That” campaign launches September 13 with advertising around the state and partnerships with retailers and community groups. Ecology’s research identified “not having a trash bag in the car” as one of the top reasons people litter. To address that need, the “Simple As That” campaign is giving away free, reusable car litter bags at grocery stores throughout the state as part of a partnership with Rosauers Supermarkets and Fred Meyer Stores.

“It is important to Rosauers that we do our part to prevent waste in our communities,” said Rosauers President and CEO Cliff Rigsbee. “We’re excited to partner with Ecology to give away litter bags that make it easier for our customers to be a part of the solution and reduce the amount of garbage found on our roadways.” 

“Fred Meyer is honored to partner with Ecology on the ‘Simple As That’ campaign to help reduce waste in our communities,” says Todd Kammeyer, President of Fred Meyer Stores, Inc. “This campaign compliments our Zero Hunger / Zero Waste initiative, and we are excited to give away litter bags to our customers so they can take a simple action that can prevent garbage from ending up on our roads.”

Litter bags are available at all Fred Meyer stores and Rosauers Supermarkets in Washington. Click here to see the list of Washington Fred Meyer stores or here for the list of Rosauers Supermarkets.

In addition, Ecology is introducing the campaign to new people by partnering with community-based organizations to distribute the “We Keep WA Litter Free” litter bags to individuals and families who are new to the United States. 

"We believe that everyone can do their part to keep our neighborhoods healthy,” said Dr. Ileana Ponce-Gonzalez, Executive Director of the Community Health Workers Coalition for Migrants and Refugees. “We are proud to partner with Ecology to create cleaner, healthier communities for all Washingtonians.”

To learn more about this campaign, visit LitterFreeWA.org/simple or PorUnWAImpecable.org/simple.

More information

• To lend a hand cleaning up roadside litter, please visit WSDOT’s Adopt-a-Highway volunteer program webpage.
• To learn more about Ecology’s litter pick up and prevention programs, please visit the Litter in Washington webpage.

Campaign Media Contacts 

Washington Department of Ecology
Amber Smith, (360) 688-4957, amber.smith@ecy.wa.gov 

Washington State Department of Transportation
Tina Werner, (360) 705-7080, christina.werner@wsdot.wa.gov    

Washington State Patrol
Chris Loftis, (360) 485-3983, chris.loftis@wsp.wa.gov