CENTRAL COAST – The 2nd Annual Great American Clean-Up Day bagged a success! As part of the statewide “Don’t Trash California” campaign, the Central Coast Caltrans office conducted an anti-litter campaign on Tuesday, March 4, when maintenance crews and Adopt-a-Highway groups throughout the district cleared debris from local highways.
“This campaign is off to a great start, and in addition to litter cleanup, we’ve included brush and graffiti removal, but we can’t do it without the public’s help. We continue to ask that the public do their part to cover their loads and keep trash inside their vehicles to ensure the beauty and the environment surrounding our highways,” said Rich Krumholz, District 5 Director.
Annually, Caltrans spends about $55 million in the anti-litter effort statewide, and the figures continue to grow as our crews and Adopt-A-Highway groups gather litter. On the Central Coast, the group has spent $66,500 this year on litter removal and picked up 396 cubic yards / 2,779 trash bags.
All trash – including plastic grocery bags, food containers and cigarette butts – must be disposed of in a proper trash container. Once on our roadway, litter travels into storm drains and waterways and pollutes rivers, lakes and the ocean. It’s also a visual blight and can be a safety hazard.
Caltrans also reminds motorists that highway littering carries fines up to $1,000, enforced by the CHP.