money Quit throwing trash out your car window, WA! Here’s a way to stop in honor of Earth Day
With Earth Day coming up this weekend, Washington state organizations are bringing attention to environmental sustainability efforts. Metro Parks Tacoma is hosting a parks appreciation day, and nonprofit organization Washington CoastSavers is coordinating with Washington State Parks and the state’s National Park Service to carry out coastal cleanups at different vantage points all throughout the Puget Sound region.
Each year, around 26 million pounds of discarded material finds its way onto the Evergreen State’s roadways, the department says. This weight equates to 873 public transit buses. To address the issue, the Department of Transportation and Ecology collectively spend more than $12 million dollars annually to clean up Washington’s litter.
Washington’s Department of Ecology, which recognizes the entire month of April as Earth Month, is bringing attention to its own environmentalism campaign focusing on roadway littering. The initiative was launched last September, and aims to educate the public on reasons why people litter and how discarded trash endangers the environment.
Volunteers and cleanup crews managed to collect over 1,600 tons of trash from the state’s roadways in 2022. Although this metric seems high, there are more than 73,500 pieces of individual trash scattered per mile throughout Washington’s roadways every year, the department states in its news release from Monday.
A main reason why people litter, the department says, is because people don’t have a place to put their trash inside their car. To combat this behavior, the state agency has established partnerships with businesses to distribute litter trash bags.
Where to get your free car litter bag
As part of its litter prevention initiative, the ecology department is working with all Fred Meyer locations statewide to distribute Washington-branded car litter bags. As of April 16, customers can request a free bag at any of Fred Meyer’s customer service counters. To find a Fred Meyer location near you, check out the grocery company’s list of Washington stores.
Ecology is also partnering with Refugee Artisan Initiative to create and give away up-cycled litter bags made from vinyl banners in the Spokane area during the last few weeks of April. Immigrant and refugee women with Refugee Artisan Initiative create the bags and earn living wages for their work.
“This Earth Month, we want everyone to be part of the solution to keep Washington litter free by taking simple actions like holding on to trash until you see a bin or keeping a litter bag in your car,” stated Laura Watson, director of the Department of Ecology in Monday’s news release.
Tips to stop littering
The ecology department states that more than 75% of Washingtonians choose not to litter. But the trash that does get scattered on the roadways is both a hazard and an eyesore. The department says that hundreds of car accidents occur each year due to obstructive litter. Litter such as cigarette butts also leak toxic chemicals into the environment.
The department advises residents to keep a litter bag in their car, hold onto trash before arriving at a destination and encouraging others to live litter-free helps to foster environmentally friendly behavior.
Aside from the Fred Meyer litter bags, here are some other items you can repurpose as one, or how you can purchase a bag:
Reuse an existing container or bag like a grocery bag, small waste basket or plastic tub.
Look for a bag in an automobile or retail store in either their cleaning or automobile departments.
Check out an e-commerce website for a bag. Top listings on Amazon offer bags ranging from $5-20, shipping not included.
