BATON ROUGE, La. – Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB), in collaboration with Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and the Louisiana Automobile Dealer Association (LADA), has launched the “Put the Brakes on Litter” campaign, aimed at reducing roadside litter across the state. This initiative will see participating car dealerships distributing litter kits and educational materials to motorists, encouraging them to take an active role in preventing littering.
“Each year, local governments and other agencies spend more than $91 million cleaning up litter and illegal dumping. It’s time we turn the tide on littering, and I am excited to launch this new partnership with Louisiana’s auto dealers,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “Not only will this help prevent more waste from accumulating in our communities, but it will also reduce the burden on taxpayers who are footing the bill to clean it up. The solution is simple, but it takes all of us to do our part.”
The campaign is a direct response to KLB’s 2023 Louisiana Litter Study, which found that there are 143.8 million pieces of litter on the state’s roadways, with motorists identified as the primary contributors. “This campaign is an important opportunity for teaching and empowering motorists to prevent litter from happening in the first place,” said Susan Russell, KLB Executive Director.
Participating dealerships across Louisiana will provide litter kits to vehicle buyers. Each kit includes a disposable litter bag, a pocket ashtray for cigarette disposal, an informational rack card with litter prevention tips, and a car cupholder coaster featuring the litter hotline number, 855-LA-Litter. Motorists are encouraged to report littering by providing the license plate information and vehicle make of offenders.
“Louisiana is full of natural beauty, and one of the easiest ways to see it is by driving our roads and highways,” said LADA President and CEO Coulter McMahen. “As auto dealers, we are proud to offer this free, simple solution to Louisiana drivers to help preserve our state’s beauty. If we all take steps to address this problem where it starts, we can prevent further trash from appearing on our roadways.”
Key findings from the Litter Study that prompted this campaign include:
- Cigarette butts are the most littered micro-sized item on roadways, making up 24.5% of such litter.
- Over 79% of roadway litter is attributed to motorists, garbage trucks, and unsecured loads.
- Interstates are the most littered type of roadway, with an average of 10,178 pieces of litter per mile.
- A survey revealed that 92% of Louisiana citizens believe that litter is a significant problem.
Louisiana car dealerships are encouraged to join the “Put the Brakes on Litter” campaign