Spring means increase in littering across Ohio: How you can help
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Your closets and cars aren't the only things that could use a spring cleaning. So could the streets.
The Ohio Department of Transportation says that at the start of spring, more cigarettes, cans and other trash appear all over the roads each year.
'It's disgusting out there. It's embarrassing. All of us as Ohioans should be embarrassed at the level of trash that is out there along our roadsides,' said Matt Bruning, press secretary for the Ohio Department of Transportation.
All of the cigarette butts, cans and more is left for crews like ODOT to clean up. The same employees tasked with picking up your trash are also the ones who spent all winter plowing roads. So after a busy season, they're met with an overwhelming amount of litter. 'We all can do a little bit to keep one person from having to do a lot,' Bruning said.
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Each year, around $10 million worth of taxpayer money goes into litter clean up, money that could be going elsewhere. 'Our Safe Routes to School program which builds infrastructure and programming to help kids get to and from school safely walking and biking has been around $10 million. We could double that program with what we'd save,' he said.
Littering is a misdemeanor in Ohio. It can be punished with up to a $500 fine and 60 days in jail. Still, Bruning said it doesn't stop people from throwing their trash out on roadways. 'I think it's hard to fix it because it's a culture change. Just like drunk driving, distracted driving it's a culture change that has to be made,' he said.
If you want to help out, the city is hosting the first major clean up event of the year on Saturday. Organizers said if you're interested in volunteering, meet at 10 a.m. at the Wolfe Park Shelter House on 105 Park Drive.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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