JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There is a push from the Florida Department of Transportation to keep Northeast Florida highways clean.
FDOT launched an anti-littering campaign called Litter Less Live More.
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If you are driving on the road, and you have trash in your car you want to get rid of, FDOT wants to remind you, don’t throw it out your window, instead, drive it home.
Officials want to stress the importance of properly securing loads to prevent accidental littering.
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“We are really trying to help people understand the roads themselves don’t spontaneously create trash,” Hampton Ray, FDOT spokesperson, said. “It is the drivers on the roadway. We all need to take responsibility.”
In 2023, the tonnage of trash removed from Duval County interstates was 39% greater than the tonnage removed from all of Broward County interstates, according to FDOT.
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Ray said crews go out and remove debris from the roads. That maintenance is a 45-to-60-day cycle. But it’s something that is not enough to keep up with the volume of debris.
“We do have a significant challenge here,” Ray said. “It is really an education component as well as an enforcement component, so we are working with our law enforcement partners to help highlight anti-litter.”
If you are interested in volunteering for litter removal, please contact the Adopt-A-Highway Program at 1-800-BAN-LITT or 1-800-226-5488.
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