Littering

The other day while I was driving to STU I saw something that completely shocked me. I saw this person throw a bunch of McDonald's bags out of his widow into the streets without having any consideration to those around him and our environment. Littering can harm the environment in a number different ways. It is a breeding ground for disease-causing insects and rodents. Its “ugliness” damages the appearances of our community and beautiful environments. Open containers such as the McDonalds bags can hold rainwater, providing breeding locations for mosquitoes. Over 51 billion pieces of litter land on U.S. roadways each year! I believe that people litter because it’s their own personnel choice. Some people feel no sense of ownership for our community. They believe someone else will pick up after them. We all have a role to play in preventing littering; it just takes one person (YOU) to positively impact the behavior of others in our community. If you happen to see someone litter let’s act now by contacting the Department of Ecology 866-548-8371 and please make sure to include this information:


• License plate number, state, and type (Disabled, University, etc.)
• Vehicle description (make, model, type, color)
• Who littered (driver, passenger, unsecured load, etc.)
• Description of what was littered
• Date and time of incident
• Location (Hwy, Road, intersection)
• Direction of travel
• Nearest town


They will not be issued a ticket, but they will receive a letter describing litter laws and fines.