About No MOre Trash!
Where it all began
Missouri's first statewide anti-litter campaign is getting underway! The goal is to raise awareness of what we can do about litter and, ultimately, to make Missouri a litter-free state.
WHY DO WE NEED IT?
Litter harms water quality and wildlife, poses health risks, creates an ugly and disheartening environment, is associated with increased crime, and costs a lot in time and energy to clear away - precious dollars and time that could be used for something much more positive.
Each year, MoDOT spends more than $6 million to clean litter from Missouri highways. In addition, Adopt-A-Highway volunteers provide another $1.5 million worth of litter pick up. Major types of litter found include fast-food waste, paper, aluminum and glass. In 2001, Missouri Stream Teams picked up 420.89 tons of trash. Litter is a serious problem that's getting worse. It's a problem we can solve.
WHAT'S THE PLAN?
No MOre Trash! was selected as the initial slogan after extensive focus groups with 16-22 year olds across the state, as well as phone surveys. Students in the focus groups told us humor is the best way to reach them, and that TV, especially Comedy Central and MTV, was what they watched the most.
Paid advertising is critical to getting the message out. Experience in other states has shown that keeping the anti-litter message in the public eye is essential. As soon as it's out of sight and out of mind, litter returns.
The advertising component of the campaign began April 30, 2002 by targeting 16-22 year olds with ads running on cable TV in Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield, Cape Girardeau and Columbia/Jefferson City. Joplin was added in July. The 16-22 age group was chosen as the initial target because research has shown that they litter the most. The ads are run in association with MTV, Comedy Central and BET. As more funds become available, we will expand the effort both in terms of targeted ages as well as the varieties of media used to reach them.
In addition to the three months of paid ads, a website (www.nomoretrash.org) serves as a clearinghouse for information about litter in Missouri and how people can get involved throughout the state. Another positive factor, of course, is that the website itself is essentially litter-free.
To get Missourians ages 16-22 involved in the effort, we're challenging them to create their own 30-second videos with an anti-litter message. Awards of $200 will be made for each video selected for promotional use in the campaign. This contest will be open through the summer, with the best video selected monthly or so as they are received.
Additional print and resource materials will be made available as funds allow. These may include:
- litter bags for vehicles
- hand-stamps with the logo to use as reminders at litter-free events
- posters for businesses, schools, parks.
The more we can convey the message without additional print publications, the less paper we add to the waste stream. In addition to communicating through TV, radio and the web, we'll encourage individuals, schools, communities and businesses to get involved themselves in spreading the word. A certificate for elementary teachers to give to students, signed by the Governor, will be available for those who have conducted litter-free projects with their classes. Communities will be encouraged to promote litter-free events. And we'll continue to highlight the fact the there is a fine of up to $1,000 for littering in Missouri.
So through heightened awareness and greater public involvement, the campaign will work to make Missouri litter-free.
Missouri efforts
- Littering in Missouri is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of up to $1000.
- Adopt-A-Highway started in Missouri in 1987. Only about 5,000 of MoDOT's 32,000 miles of highway system are adopted. The value of the volunteer labor of 3500 groups is about $1.5 million.
- MoDOT currently spends an additional $6 million for statewide litter control annually.
- Missouri Department of Natural Resources conducted training meetings in May 2000 to promote Local Environmental Enforcement Programs (LEEP) to combat illegal dumping. The meetings used a manual that could be used by local communities in establishing and managing an effective environmental enforcement program.
- Complementing LEEP, DNR also provides a website where citizens can report complaints related to waste management issues, including illegal dumping (http://www.dnr.state.mo.us/alpd/swmp/enfform.htm). Additionally, the department has initiated a video camera surveillance project to assist in prosecuting suspects caught illegally dumping in Missouri.
- Missouri Department of Conservation's conservation agents hand out more tickets for littering than any other enforcement group in the state - more than 500 tickets in the past year alone.
- Kansas City and Hannibal are affiliates of the Keep America Beautiful campaign.
- Operation Brightside in St. Louis began its own anti-litter campaign.
