MS Litter Stats – Don’t Trash Mississippi

Litter is everybody’s problem.

It costs money to clean up litter – lots of it. MDOT spends over $3 million a year picking up litter along Mississippi roadways – not counting the costs of decreased property values, decreased commerce and tourism and health risks. This money could be used to build and maintain roads and bridges.

Where Does the Litter Go?

Here are some surprising litter statistics about Mississippi:

  • In 2016, there were 50,960 cubic yards of litter removed from Mississippi highways. This much trash could:
    • Fill up the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool one and a half times; or,
    • Fill up seven Goodyear Blimps; or,
    • Fill up three-fifths of Spaceship Earth at EPCOT Center.
  • Put another way, 8,910 tons of trash were removed from Mississippi highways. That is:
    • Almost as heavy as the Eiffel Tower which weighs 11,100 tons; or,
    • One-third as heavy as the Statue of LIberty which weighs 28,000 tons.
  • In 2016, MDOT employees spent 30,526 hours picking up trash on the side of the road. That equals almost three and a half years!

 

Litter Rates Along Rural Roads