Littering is costly…to clean up, to economic development, to community appearance, and to you, if you get a ticket or collide with road debris!
A new partnership between Wake County and the City of Raleigh aims to prevent littering and its high costs to our community. You can join this partnership and help to "be the eyes and ears of your community," says Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison, by calling the new Litter Line, 856-5700, when you see someone littering or dumping, or an uncovered truck losing trash as it travels on the road.
Your call to the Litter Line will be answered by a law enforcement officer who will dispatch someone to ticket the litterers, based on the vehicle description and location information you provide. Those cited for littering will be subject to fines ranging from $100 to $2,000.
Beginning in January 2004 first-time offenders will have the option to waive their right to a court appearance and instead can pay $25 (for unintentional littering) or $250 (for intentional and reckless littering) plus court costs of $100. This fine can be mailed in, which saves time for both the litterer and law enforcement officers by not appearing in court. If the litterer's behavior doesn't change, the next citation will result in a higher fine and the requirement to appear in court.
Local law enforcement officers have said they intend to increase the number of littering citations in order to discourage littering behavior and improve the appearance and safety of our community. Raleigh Police Chief Jane Perlov espouses a crime-fighting philosophy that emphasizes the value of paying attention to quality-of-life issues such as littering.
"Taking care of the so-called 'little things' does a lot to keep major problems from developing," Perlov says. "A litter-free community is likely to be a much better place to live, and preventing litter is a bargain compared to the cost of its cleanup."
Chief Perlov and Sheriff Harrison star in two public service announcements, produced in partnership between Wake County and the City of Raleigh, that are running on local and cable television channels, urging citizens to take personal responsibility for the environmental consequences of their actions.
If you witness a single act of littering, such as throwing a cigarette butt out the window of a vehicle, instead of using the Litter Line, you can report that violation by noting the license plate number, time and location and submitting the information to the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Swat-a-Litterbug program. You can report online at:
http://www.doh.dot.state.nc.us/operations/dp_chief_eng/roadside/Beautification/Litterbug/
or call 1-877-DOT-4YOU, and ask for Swat-a-Litterbug cards to keep in your car to report future violations. The owner of the reported vehicle will be sent a letter telling them they were observed littering, asking them to change their behavior, and enclosing a car litter bag for their use.
New legislation passed in 2001 also strengthens the law requiring truck drivers to cover and secure their loads. Trucks must be loaded or covered to "prevent any of the load from falling, blowing, dropping, sifting, leaking, or otherwise escaping…" In extreme cases, drivers can get a point on their driver's license and the vehicle is subject to seizure. Covering and securing loads is important for highway safety. In the last year in Wake and surrounding counties, there have been several instances of serious injury and even death when innocent motorists and law enforcement officers collided with roadside litter or debris blowing off uncovered trucks.
The most recent report on litter cleanup costs and littering citations from the Governor indicates that NCDOT spent more than $15 million in 2002 cleaning up litter along roadsides in the state. (You can read the entire Governor's report at: http://www.doh.dot.state.nc.us/operations/dp_chief_eng/roadside/Beautification/Events/)
In addition, the insurance industry annually reports nearly $60 million in claims for broken glass in vehicles due to road debris. Added to that is the more than $30 million that citizens pay for the deductible on those claims. Litter cleanup in N.C. costs more than $100 million per year.
To help you take personal responsibility, you can call the Keep America Beautiful volunteer line at 919-856-6788 and leave your address to request a Litter Bug Exterminator Kit or a recycled vinyl key chain featuring the Litter Line phone number.