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Ohio Highway Litter Exceeds 11,700 Tons Annually"
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- More than 11,700 tons of plastic bags, beverage containers, auto parts and other materials are intentionally dumped along Ohio roadways each year, according to an Ohio Department of Natural Resources study. The effort to clean up this litter costs Ohio taxpayers at least $2.3 million annually, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation, which cooperated in the study."This is Ohio's first in-depth highway litter study in 20 years," says ODNR Director Sam Speck. "It provides valuable baseline data that will help in measuring the effectiveness of programs to combat this problem. It also dramatizes the need for all Ohioans to do their part in preventing roadside litter."The ODNR Division of Recycling & Litter Prevention conducted the statewide litter study earlier this year in order to quantify the magnitude of Ohio's roadside trash problem. The study indicated that beverage containers, fast food wrappers and cigarette butts account for more than 35% of the litter found on the state's roads and interchanges. In addition, the study revealed nearly two-thirds more litter is dumped on the state's urban interchanges each year than on rural interchanges."Litter along the highways has become an increasingly expensive issue," says ODOT Director Gordon Proctor. "Unfortunately, we are using a great deal of resources to clean up the mess people make along the road that would otherwise go to improving our highway system."Visit the Ohio Department of Natural Resources: www.ohiodnr.com"