AASHTO Journal - TxDOT Marks 40 Year Milestone for Anti-Littering Campaign

The Texas Department of Transportation is celebrating the 40-year anniversary of its ‘Don’t Mess with Texas” anti-littering campaign this year; an initiative launched in 1986 to address the increasing amount of litter along Texas highways by appealing to the “Texas pride” of state residents.

[Above photo by TxDOT]

The “Don’t Mess with Texas” effort also includes annual “Trash-Off” community litter pick-up events and the state’s Adopt-a-Highway volunteer program.

A key component of the campaign’s longevity has been its collaboration with influential Texas voices from music, film, and popular culture — with Willie Nelson, George Strait, Eva Longoria, Matthew McConaughey, Joe Jonas, Ethan Hawke, and others helping extend the campaign’s reach and reinforce its message statewide over the last four decades.

The “Don’t’ Mess with Texas” anti-littering effort got off the ground at the Cotton Bowl on January 1, 1986, with the late guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan appeared on the screen in the campaign’s first television advertisement.

Now, the next generation of artistic talent is contributing to this statewide effort, TxDOT said, with Post Malone starring in the latest “Don’t Mess with Texas” video.

“As we mark the 40th anniversary, it’s wonderful to not only look back at the old commercials that helped spark this iconic message but see how the newest generation is lending their voice to helping keep our state clean and beautiful,” noted Marc Williams, TxDOT’s executive director, in a statement.

Williams – who also serves as the 2025-2026 vice president of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials – added that while the “Don’t Mess with Texas” campaign has been incredibly successful over the years, “it’s imperative we continue to remind people that ‘Don’t Mess with Texas’ means don’t litter.”

Across the country, state departments of transportation are heavily involved in a variety of anti-littering efforts.

For example, the Tennessee Department of Transportation recently highlighted the more than 77,000 pounds of litter removed from roadsides and waterways statewide as part of the 5th Annual “No Trash November” month-long clean-up campaign.

That annual cleanup initiative also brings together Tennessee DOT’s litter prevention partners and organizations, including Keep Tennessee Beautiful affiliates, Litter Grant recipients, Adopt-A-Highway groups, youth organizations such as Girl Scouts and Scouting America, and many others.

Meanwhile, the Arkansas Department of Transportation is building new “anti-litter displays” that will be rotated among several highway locations statewide in the coming months. Travelers along Arkansas highways will see a series of blue highway signs – made in-house by ARDOT employees – with anti-litter messaging, the agency said.

And in November 2025, the New Mexico Department of Transportation, in partnership with the New Mexico Governor’s Office, recently named 14 high school students as its 2025–2026 “Land of Enchantment Young Ambassadors” – a new statewide leadership program focused on preventing litter and graffiti while promoting community pride.

The “Young Ambassadors” initiative – part of NMDOT’s “Que Linda” program and the Governor’s youth-focused “Keep Litter Out” campaign – aims to empower youth to lead local beautification efforts across New Mexico and more than 150 students applied.