For the last 40 years, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has administered a Litter Grant Program that has played a critical role in reducing the amount of litter on Tennessee’s nearly 97,000 miles of public roads.
According to TDOT, the funding was established in 1983 by Tennessee’s Soft Drink and Malt Beverage industries and has helped improve communities in all 95 Tennessee counties.
Counties use the funding from the program for initiatives such as tarp law enforcement, cleanup and recycling events, litter prevention campaigns, and participation in multijurisdictional and statewide collaborations with TDOT’s Nobody Trashes Tennessee litter prevention campaign and Keep Tennessee Beautiful and its local affiliates.
Since 2016, littering has decreased by 12% in the state, according to data from TDOT’s latest Visible Litter Study. As encouraging as the results have been to state leaders, there are still more than 88 million pieces of litter on the state’s roadways at any given time.
“TDOT’s Litter Grant funding model ensures a comprehensive and collaborative approach to litter abatement and is making a real difference in keeping the state of Tennessee safe and beautiful,” said TDOT Transportation Supervisor Denise Baker. “By providing funding at the county level, communities across the state organize litter cleanups on roadways and riverways based on their specific needs. We are thrilled to celebrate the 40th year of the program.”
According to TDOT data, the Litter Grant’s widespread approach is responsible for removing an average of 11,243 tons of litter each year. In 2022, nearly 29% of that statewide total was diverted from landfills and recycled.
In total, more than 435,529 tons of litter have been removed from the roadways since the program’s inception.
The program’s success also comes from local government partners that invest additional resources, and by individuals who contribute tens of thousands of volunteer hours. This makes the program extremely efficient, saving communities and the state critical funds when compared to the costs of contracted litter pickup. The 2022 statewide average cost of a Litter Grant pickup was just $14.40 per mile, while contracted litter pickup routinely costs TDOT more than $500 a mile.
$5.5 million is allocated annually through the Litter Grant Program, a total that has remained consistent since 2017. The current series of Litter Grant contracts include $3,823,915 for local litter pickup operations and $1,656,085 for litter prevention education.
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Source: Tennessee Department of Transportation
