LITTER FACTS LITTER FACT #1 Approximately 362 million pieces of litter accumulate on Texas roads every year. LITTER FACT #2 71% of litter consists of micro litter (two inches or smaller) such as cigarette butts, straws and gum wrappers. LITTER FACT #4 Tire debris makes up 29% of visible litter in Texas, particularly along interstates. LITTER FACT #5 Items discarded from cars and trucks account for half of all litter along Texas roads. LITTER FACT #6 Vehicle debris including blown tires, car crash debris and car maintenance litter accounts for 35% of visible litter in Texas. LITTER FACT #7 Cigarette butts make up the largest portion of micro litter in Texas. LITTER FACT #8 Texans, ages 16 to 34, are those most likely to litter. LITTER FACT #3 Recyclables such as beverage containers and paper make up 25% of litter on Texas roads. LITTER FACT #9 You can be fined $500 every time you litter in Texas. And, if what you toss weighs more than five pounds, you may have to pay up to $2,000. LITTER FACT #10 Litter is trash that is not disposed of properly in a trash can. Apple cores and banana peels are litter too.
MAKE TEXARKANA CLEAN, NEAT, GREEN AND PRETTY Multiple organizations have joined forces in and around Texarkana to establish an anti-litter campaign in our region. The vision of our campaign is to “Make Texarkana clean, neat, green and pretty.” On March 31, 2021, we held our first meeting at the Texarkana USA Chamber of Commerce and began developing an Anti-Litter Campaign around the process of Strategic Doing. Strategic Doing is a process of joining forces to form collaborations quickly, move them toward measurable outcomes and adjust along the way. We developed a framing question around our campaign, “Imagine what Texarkana would be like, if Texarkana was litter-free?” Can you imagine that? How great would that be? Why is this important? Because the right kind of question to frame a strategic conversation is also one that brings forth a new generation of ideas and points us towards what is next. We are thankful to all the organizations that have joined us thus far in our endeavor to create a Texarkana that is litter-free! This is more than a community pride initiative; it encourages economic development and prosperity for our region. Our campaign balances immediate action with education and employs creativity to pull in press and social media coverage—drawing attention to the extent of the litter problem in our community. If you’d like to join the effort, or learn more please contact rbass@texarkana.org as we continue to energize our community and bring about immediate change to, “Make Texarkana clean, neat, green and pretty.”
SOURCE: www.dontmesswithtexas.org
34 | Texarkana Community Directory | Spring 2022
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