Roadside litter is a problem for all of us. It is unsafe as well as unsightly. The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is working hard to keep our roadsides safe and clean.

NCDOT's Office of Beautification Programs is attacking the litter problem by increasing funding for litter removal, using litter removal machinery, assigning more inmates to litter pickup duty, implementing anti-litter educational programs in the schools, increasing volunteer recruitment for Litter Sweep and Adopt-A-Highway and partnering with public and private agencies to help reduce litter in our state.

North Carolina Big Sweep homepage: North Carolina Big Sweep is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is litter-free watersheds. Since its inception in 1986, it has recruited more than 200,000 Big Sweep volunteers who have removed millions of pounds of debris from North Carolina's environment.

Litter Prevention Specialty License Plate - "Don't Litter"

Senator Albertson's "Mean About Clean" Jingle Press Release

Download Our Mean About Clean Jingle

Education

"Secure Your Load" Brochure
"In North Carolina, half of all litter is blown, not thrown." Mecklenburg County Solid Waste and Recycling 08/29/2006

Pollution...What's our connection? (brochure)

Help Reduce Water Pollution Along NC Highways (brochure)

Gaston County. 2008-2009 Beautification and Environmental Education Programs sponsored by Keep Gastonia Beautiful, Inc. and Gaston County Recycling. The Gaston County School System approved these programs for use in the Gaston County Schools. This site provides a comprehensive curriculum for students K-12.

Click here to view the 2008-2009 Beautification and Environmental Education Programs.


Union County. Please click on the "Yes! Yes! We Can Stop Littering" graphic name. You will find an extraordinary educational anti littering initiative which is changing the local landscape. "Yes! Yes! We Can Stop Littering" was utilized in both public and private schools in Union County.

"Yes! Yes! We Can Stop Littering"

Bus Placards. Litter prevention begins by raising everyone's awareness that littering of any kind is illegal. The bus placard is a sign intended for usage inside buses to inform riders about littering. Something as little as a cigarette butt becomes litter when it is disposed of improperly. Examples of this type of littering include:

• A cigarette butt thrown from a vehicle onto a public street
• A pedestrian discarding a cigarette butt onto a public walkway

A conviction of littering (less than 15 pounds) can carry a fine of up to $1,000 and 8 to 12 hours of community service work. Click here for the Office of Beautification Programs Litter Law page.

Click on the following links below to see examples of the current bus placard:
"Join The Fight Against Litter - Cigarette butts are litter.
Leave them behind and you could be fined up to $1,000."

English format click here.   En Espanol format click here.

NCDOT Environmental Programs:  this links to the NCDOT Environmental Mission and to Environmental Hot Topics (Office of Environmental Quality, Highway Stormwater Program and 3R Program).

Office of Environmental Education, (NC Division of Environment and Natural Resources) serves a coordinating role among schools, colleges, state and federal agencies, environmental education centers, citizens groups, and the business/industrial community in promoting environmental education and natural resource stewardship. It provides a wide range of environmental education resources, materials, and information on programs and places to visit. The Web site includes many sample lessons from various divisions of NC DENR on recycling, pollution, sustainability, and several other environmental education topics, and links that show where to find more resources. (http://www.ee.enr.state.nc.us).

Please click here to visit the Office of Environmental Education web site.



NC Civic Education Consortium entitled, "The Impact of Drought on NC Communities." In this lesson, which consists of several short activities, students examine how their city supplies water to its residents, as well as evaluate water usage in their homes. Students will then examine North Carolina's drought, its impact on our state, and the conservation choices that can be made to alleviate critical water shortages. One activity asks students to assume the roles of city council members and apply what they have learned to devise a local plan for water conservation. This lesson is also relevant to civics teachers, so feel free to pass along! Drought Lesson



Project Learning Tree (PLT) is a network of volunteers and state coordinators that work with a variety of individuals and oreganizations to provide professional development programs.

Please click here for Project Learning Tree curriculums web page.



Earth 911 Public and Private Sector Partnership is designed to empower residents with proactive environmental information and programs through a single network. As this program continues to grow, it will expand to include new links to community-specific environmental information and programs.

Please click here for Earth 911 web page.

Recycle Guys


Ring Leader Recycling Program - Designed for teachers as an effective way to demonstrate first-hand the importance of recycling. This program is provided by the inventor of the recyclable six-pack rings ITWHi-Cone. A Ring Leader Kit is available to both formal and non-formal educational instituions. Students of all ages are encouraged to learn about and participate in the environmentally focussed program.

Please click here to go to the Ring Leader Recycling Program web site at http://www.ringleader.com

DENR Stormwater & Runoff Pollution

EPA - Water, Storm Water, Surf Your Watershed... Educational Links