The Tarheel Pipeline, Fall 2015

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24 | Fall 2015
feature
orth Carolina is a beautiful state, from the
majestic Appalachian Mountains in the west to
the hundreds of miles of spectacular shoreline
in the east and rolling foothills in between, but
one can’t look far without seeing some sort of
trash, either dumped intentionally or without
the offender’s knowledge, say from the back
of a vehicle. What makes someone think it is
acceptable to throw trash or cigarette butts
from their car, or allow trash in the back of
their vehicles to blow away, or just dump their
household or commercial garbage in a ditch or
even worse into a stream? Why is this acceptable
to anyone?We seem to have become desensitized
to it. One can feel guilty for not picking up what
they see, but that could be a full time job for a
lot of people. Garbage is everywhere and in spite
of recently launched campaigns to clean up the
state, it seems to be getting worse.
Not only is all that garbage out there an
eyesore, it is a threat to public health and
endangers wildlife and animal habitats. It can
clog drinking water intakes and threaten water
quality when contaminants are dumped on the
ground. It is also a costly problem. In 2014,
North Carolina spent $15.6 million to clean
up more than 7 million pounds of trash in the
state. Littering is against the law and the fines
are steep - $1,000 for the first offense and up
to $2,000 for the second offense and a guilty
judgement can result in a point penalty on a
driver’s license. One accident a day is caused
by a driver swerving to avoid litter in the road.
In March of 2014, the Department of Public
Safety launched the Litter Free NC campaign, a
joint effort between several state agencies, law
enforcement, and citizens. The purpose of the
campaign is to reduce the amount of litter in our
state by educating the public about its harmful
effects on public safety, wildlife and the
environment. Litter Free NC is an educational
program designed to change the behavior of
citizens. Through the Litter Free NC program,
motorists will be able to dial Enforcement *HP
to report unsecured loads. The Highway Patrol
will try to locate and ticket the offender. Gov.
McCrory is sending a message that this is a
“major priority of this administration.”
There is also the Adopt-A-Highway Program
(AAH) that was established in 1988 by the
North Carolina Department of Transportation
(NCDOT) in response to growing public
concern regarding litter along the state’s
highways. The AAH Program is administered
by the NCDOT Office of Beautification, and
is a joint effort between community volunteers
and the NCDOT. Its purpose is to decrease the
amount of litter on North Carolina’s roadsides
and improve the beauty and quality of the
environment. Information about the program
and how to participate can be found on their
website
Litterbugs can also be reported to the NCDOT
Swat-A-Litterbug program.
NCDOT Litter Sweep - Biannual
Statewide Roadside Litter Cleanup
Litter Sweep is the North Carolina Department
of Transportation (NCDOT) statewide
roadside litter removal initiative. Volunteers
are requested to locally participate in the
Governor proclaimed “Litter Sweep” to help
beautify their communities by removing litter
from North Carolina’s roadways.
Volunteers are provided cleanup supplies such
as orange trash bags, gloves, and orange safety
vests from their respective local NCDOT
county maintenance office. A phone listing
of local NCDOT maintenance offices can be
found in the “Forms” link below as can Litter
Sweep safety and promotional materials.
Litter Sweep is traditionally scheduled for
the last two weeks of April and September.
This fall, Litter Sweep is from September 19 -
October 3, 2015. In 2016, Litter Sweep dates
are April 16-30 and Sept. 17 - Oct. 1, 2016.
For more information, please call the Litter
Sweep Hotline (800-331-5864).
Litter Sweep and NC Department of Public
Safety and the “Litter Free NC” campaign.
In addition to volunteers, the NCDOT
maintenance crews devote one week of their
time during Litter Sweep to pick up litter and
collect orange bags from the roadsides once
volunteers have completed their cleanups.
I was informed, when calling the above number,
that county NCDOT offices will provide
supplies to anyone interested in picking up
trash at any time. Call ahead of time to make
arrangements. There is also a method for
recycling the trash if someone is so inclined.
By Debbie Maner, NCRWA
NOR T H CAROL I NA I S A