Washington's first litter study in nearly 20 years found 37.8 million pounds of waste are littered each year. That's comprised of nearly 7.1 billion items.
litter prevention coordinator Amber Smith-Jones said to KIRO Newsradio. “The fact that our interstate highways are getting more than 73,000 pieces of litter per mile was a big deal because interstates are also the most difficult to clean. Litter pickup is dangerous work. It is expensive work.”
According to the study, the most common types of litter include plastic film wrapping for boxes, plastic mailing pouches, air pillows, shrink-wrap, and bubble wrap, metal beer cans and construction and demolition debris. But cigarette butts are the top tossed item, by a large margin. “They tell us that they throw things out of their window as a convenient way to keep things from building up in the car, basically to keep their car clean and they don’t have a car litter bag,” Smith-Jones said to KIRO Newsradio.“We also have a lot of accidental litter that’s happening because people aren’t properly securing their loads or cleaning out their truck beds,” Smith-Jones said.
The results from the litter study were released earlier this summer, but the Department of Ecology is increasing awareness of the state’s litter problem this month with its
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Wash. Supreme Court rules state isn't solely responsible for school construction costsThe fight continues to hold Washington state accountable for fully funding education.
Read more »
Wash. state restaurant owner paralyzed in shooting files $23 million claim against cityAn attorney for a Washington state restaurant owner left paralyzed in a shooting has filed a $23 million legal claim against the city of Tacoma.
Read more »
How artificial intelligence is helping Washington state fight wildfiresThe cameras provided by Pano AI use an artificial intelligence program to recognize the start of a forest fire.
Read more »
Washington university finds air on Seattle public transit safe despite presence of meth, fentanylResearchers with the University of Washington found meth and fentanyl residue is prevalent on public transit, but the risks from exposure to riders...
Read more »