As the weather turns warm, the Tennessee Department of Transportation is reemphasizing the goals of its Nobody Trashes Tennessee campaign to state residents: Get outside and do your part to keep roadways and waterways clean, safe, and litter-free.
[Above photo by the Tennessee DOT]
The reminder coincides with the annual launch of the “Great American Cleanup” – the nation’s largest community improvement program, which coincides with March’s designation as “Keep Tennessee Beautiful Month.”
The agency noted that its litter prevention partners, including Keep Tennessee Beautiful affiliates, will be hosting litter cleanup events statewide throughout March. Residents may also coordinate their own community cleanups, with many local affiliates providing safety tips and supplies.
[Editor’s note: The agency noted that its fourth annual “No Trash November” cleanup event removed nearly 70,000 pounds of litter from state roadways and waterways in 2024.]
“Litter detracts from Tennessee’s natural beauty and has harmful impacts on safety, the environment, and the economy,” said Butch Eley, Tennessee DOT commissioner and the state’s deputy governor, in a statement.
“We encourage everyone to participate in the Great American Cleanup by joining efforts to remove litter and beautify our state,” he added. “This is a fantastic chance to give back, embrace the spirit of volunteerism, and make a lasting impact on our communities. Your involvement can truly make a difference.”
Youth groups, including Girls Scouts and Boy Scouts, can earn “Nobody Trashes Tennessee” patches for springtime cleanup service projects. Scouts conducting their first cleanup will receive the “Nobody Trashes Tennessee” logo patch, while second cleanups earn scouts the new “Trashsquatch” patch that features the campaign’s loveable mascot. Educational resources, including spring scavenger hunt worksheets, are available online, Tennessee DOT said.
State departments of transportation across the country are engaged in a variety of litter removal efforts.
In February, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development received an additional $3 million from the state legislature to fund expanded litter pickup and removal efforts along major federal highways statewide.
This initiative aims to enhance the cleanliness and visual appeal of critical transportation routes across the state, including I-10, I-12, I-20, I-110 and I-610, the agency said.
In addition to litter removal, residents along those highways can expect early grass cutting services to occur as well via an existing state contract.
Meanwhile, three New Mexican state agencies – the New Mexico Department of Transportation, New Mexico Tourism Department, and New Mexico Environment Department – awarded a total of $4.7 million in grants to 97 local entities to support litter removal and community cleanup projects as part of a new state beautification campaign launched in November 2024.
New Mexico’s new “Breaking Bad Habits” campaign seeks to encourage state residents to preserve New Mexico’s “unparalleled landscape” by removing litter, preventing illegal dumping, and other related efforts. And in May 2024, the Utah Department of Transportation launched a new volunteer litter removal program called “Keeping Utah Beautiful” – a program designed to make it easy for members of the public to go online and sign up for a one-time cleanup of state roads.
States
NMDOT Seeks Input on Statewide Aesthetics Plan
March 21, 2025
States
