To reduce litter we must:
● Increase Awareness - Many people never see the problem or think they contribute. This is true of many decision and policy makers who never go to the end of dirt roads in our National Forests, paddle litter ridden streams, or participate in roadside clean-ups. We are trying to do this with our new Fight Litter Campaign.
● Eliminate the Incentive - "Pay as You Dump" programs equate to "litter and you don't have to pay." Incredibly, we learned this year that NCDENR plans to promote pay as you dump collection throughout the state. This can only hurt litter prevention efforts. They think it will make more room in landfills. We agree, "Pay as You Dump" will reduce the amount of trash getting to our landfills. It will end up along our roads, forests, and rivers instead.
● Create an Incentive to Clean-up - Establish a deposit on all glass, metal, and plastic containers. We'd have a lot more Stewards at work if they were getting 5 cents a bottle.
