Tennessee Spends $23M Cleaning Up Litter On Roads Each Year
Image Credit: Kenneth Allen / CC
The Center Square [By Jon Styf] –
A new report on litter control in Tennessee shows the state spends $23 million each year on litter pickup and prevention and there are an average 88.5 million pieces of litter on roads at any given time.
The 2022 study showed $5.5 million is granted each year from the Tennessee Department of Transportation to individual counties for roadway litter cleanup and abatement and the $23 million overall spent on litter comes from a soft drink and malt beverage tax.
Companies are charged a 1.9% gross receipt tax on the sale of bottled soft drinks in the state.
“Overall, we learned that in the past six years, there has been a 12% reduction of litter on Tennessee roadways. While encouraging, there are still more than 88 million pieces of litter on public roads at any given time,” said TDOT Transportation Supervisor Denise Baker.
Local roads had the highest percentage of total litter at 80% while U.S. highways had the lowest litter per mile (7,386 pieces per mile).
Most of the litter was small with an estimated 679.7 million pieces (88%) items of litter were four inches or smaller.
About the Author: Jon Styf, The Center Square Staff Reporter – Jon Styf is an award-winning editor and reporter who has worked in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms over the past 20 years, working for Shaw Media, Hearst and several other companies. Follow Jon on Twitter @JonStyf.
I live on a residential road 1/2 mile in length. In one trip picking up other’s litter, my neighbor boys and I collected a few paper/plastic soda cups, a few soda cans, almost 200 aluminum beer cans (majority Bud Lite), 26 empty whiskey bottles, 3 vodka bottles, 2 brandy bottles, and enough paper and plastic litter to fill 3 contractors trash bags!
Best part— this was consumed whiled driving! Still feel safe on the road?
We fill a 5 gallon bucket weekly cleaning up litter on our 100 feet of roadway in front of our property. The majority of the trash is from fast food establishments. Most of that trash already comes in a bag when purchased through the drive-thru. PUT IT BACK IN THE BAG AND TAKE IT HOME WITH YOU!
How come the Dept. of Corrections is not sending out inmates anymore to pick up litter anymore instead of hiring contractors??? FREE labor or is it beneath a CRIMINAL to pick up trash???