“Don’t Trash AZ”

Gov. Janet Napolitano announced "Don’t Trash AZ," a new statewide campaign to motivate Arizonans to pitch their trash into trash cans, not onto the roadways. "Don’t Trash AZ" is a cooperative effort between the Governor’s Office, ADOT, the Maricopa Association of Governments & other state agencies.

"It’s just sad that as we drive along our freeways & streets, we see soda cans, napkins, cigarette butts, paper, coffee cups, even large boxes & plastic buckets," Gov. Napolitano said. "This is more than an eyesore; litter is expensive to clean up & makes for very dangerous driving conditions."

Debris on roadways nationwide causes approx., 25,000 accidents each year & more than 80 fatalities. Between 1999 & 2001, Arizona reported 5 fatal accidents due to road debris.

"The negative image created by litter affects every Arizonan," said the Governor. "It not only affects our quality of life, but it creates a negative appearance for tourists, businesses considering relocating to the state & the employees those businesses move or recruit to work in Arizona."

"Litter detracts from the great community we live in," Maricopa County Supervisor Fulton Brock said. "Certain litter, especially cigarette butts, contains toxic chemicals that leak into our air & water."

Each month ADOT, removes more than 4,000 bags of trash from the freeway system in Maricopa County alone. Last year, ADOT spent $2.5 million & 74,000 hours removing litter from its 6,152 miles of freeways throughout the state. Despite all Arizona’s clean up efforts & the countless hours of volunteers like Adopt A Highway groups, this garbage is still easily seen on our roadways.

Along with the approx., $6 million the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) is spending on litter control & landscape maintenance on freeways, MAG is also developing a new litter prevention & education campaign.

"Don't Trash Arizona is crucial for keeping our cities & counties litter free," Phoenix Councilmember Peggy Bilsten said. "A strong anti-litter education program will teach Arizona’s children to have pride in their communities. They can become the generation that keeps Arizona beautiful for everyone."

The Governor encouraged every Arizonan to play a role in the "Don’t Trash AZ" campaign.

Arizonans can:

* Use trash receptacles
* Carry a litterbag in your car
* If you witness someone littering, call the litter hotline, in the Phoenix area its 602-712-4683, outside Phoenix its toll free at 1-877-3LITTER (1-877-354-8837)
* Become one of the more than 2,200 individual volunteers or more than 100 companies that participate in the state’s Adopt A Highway Program.

For more information, please visit www.azgovernor.gov/donttrashaz.