NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Department of Transportation will take its Nobody Trashes Tennessee litter prevention message on the road. Prior to the Thanksgiving holiday and in advance of the most heavily trafficked days of the year, they are launching a statewide outreach campaign called Clean Out Your Car Week. The “Nobody Trashes Tennessee Clean Team” will travel Tennessee from Saturday, November 18 to Tuesday, November 22, 2017, to get the message out that there’s a way to keep your car clean without tossing litter out the window.
“TDOT launched ‘Nobody Trashes Tennessee’ during the busy summer travel months, and the campaign is really taking hold – especially on social media,” says Shawn Bible, Transportation Manager of TDOT’s Beautification Office. “Our research has told us our state’s worst litterers toss trash out the window in order to keep their cars clean. Now, with another busy travel season ahead, it’s time to reach them with a positive, proactive message that it’s easy to have a tidy car without littering.”
The Nobody Trashes Tennessee Clean Out Your Car Week starts Saturday with a kickoff event at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville. Football fans will enjoy games and contests within Volunteer Village. TDOT’s “Clean Team” will offer tailgaters complimentary car cleanings, which will include trash removal, floorboard vacuuming and windshield washing. The “Clean Team” will also distribute special “Nobody Trashes Tennessee” litterbags.
Complimentary car cleanings and litterbag distributions will continue through the remainder of the tour. The full schedule is as follows:
Saturday, November 18:
University of Tennessee Knoxville 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Volunteer Village at Neyland Stadium)
Sunday, November 19th:
Chattanooga 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (I-24 Welcome Center in Hamilton County)
Monteagle 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. (I-24 Rest Stop in Grundy County)
Monday, November 20th:
Carthage 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (I-40 Welcome Center in Smith County)
Mitchellville 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. (I-65 Welcome Center Robertson County)
Tuesday, November 21st:
Jackson 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. (I-40 Rest Stop in Madison County)
Memphis 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. (I-55 Welcome Center in Shelby County)
Nobody Trashes Tennessee: How the Campaign Was Created
The “Nobody Trashes Tennessee” campaign is based on rigorous research conducted in 2016, including the Visible Litter Study, which found though littering is down 53 percent since 2006, there are still 100 million pieces of litter on TDOT rights of way. Annual litter pickup costs for TDOT alone total $15 million. Research also indicates 30 percent of the state’s litter is “deliberate” – meaning trash is tossed right out of vehicle windows. Litter, whether deliberate or unintentional, is punishable under Tennessee law and can cost $50 to $2,500 in fines. TDOT has also partnered with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development to educate travelers about the importance of using car litterbags.
