About Don't Trash AZ
The Litter Prevention and Education Program for the Regional Freeway System in the MAG Region is funded by the extension of the half-cent sales tax, which was approved by voters as Proposition 400 on November 2, 2004. The inclusion of funding for landscaping, litter pickup, sweeping, and litter education in the Regional Transportation Plan was the result of a resolution passed by the MAG Regional Council and State Transportation Board on December 3, 2003. This funding was specifically designed to be in addition to the funding that ADOT has been spending in this region for litter control and landscape maintenance.
The objective of the Litter Prevention and Education program is to improve visual aesthetics along the highway system in the MAG region. The litter control component consists of four major activities that include regularly scheduled litter pickup; hot spots that require more frequent pickup or one-time pickups; sweeping of the highway lanes and ramps; and litter prevention education.
The slogan Don’t Trash Arizona was selected by the Transportation Policy Committee after presentations from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the California Department of Conservation describing the success their state has experienced through its Don’t Trash California campaign.
While the MAG funding is aimed at reducing freeway litter in Maricopa County, litter on highways across the state is a key concern of the Arizona Department of Transportation. Additional state resources have been allocated to litter prevention and education. To ensure seamless and integrated messages, the agencies are working cooperatively on litter education programs. By pooling resources, there is maximum efficiency and economy in implementing the litter education and prevention program, providing citizens with the utmost value for every dollar and increasing the scope and reach of the prevention messages.
