California

Caltrans Prepares for California Coastal Cleanup Day

Caltrans' crews collected enough litter from roadways last year to fill nearly 200 garbage trucks during the California Coastal Cleanup Day.

This Saturday, crews will be out again, cleaning up litter around bridges, roadways, and underpasses.

According to the California Coastal Commission, most of the litter they collect are usually cigarette butts and food wrappers.

Last year, crews collected 3,200 cubic yards of litter and swept 1,400 shoulder miles of roadway.

California’s Adopt-A-Highway program also offers individuals, organizations or businesses the ability to help maintain sections of roadside within California’s State Highway System.

More than 200 groups collected over 24,000 pounds of trash last year, according to Caltrans.

"Litter has a negative impact on our state in many ways," said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty. "It’s more than an aesthetic issue, it also costs taxpayers millions of dollars in cleanup costs per year. California’s environment especially suffers due to roadside litter and debris washing into our storm drains and ultimately polluting our waterways."

District 11 spent $6 million towards this effort including work crews, service contracts and roadway sweeping, according to Caltrans.

Last year’s Coastal Cleanup Day activities helped collect over 700,000 pounds of trash and recyclable, with over 59,000 volunteers participating statewide.

Here are some tips California Coastal Commission offers to help reduce litter:

  • Dispose of all litter and cigarette butts properly.
  •  Keep storm drains clean – they drain to waterways and the ocean.
  •  Reduce, reuse, and recycle (in that order) at home, work and school.
  •  Buy reusable products and products made from recycled materials with little or no packaging.
  •  Participate in Adopt-A-Highway and Adopt-A-Beach programs.
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