Stop Illegal Dumping

 

Photo: Jackson Sun 2017

Illegal Dumping

Dumping of solid wastes without a permit is illegal under the Solid Waste Act , unless a private landowner is managing their own waste on their property. Often, illegal dumping cases go undetected unless they are reported by the public. If you see a solid waste dump please contact your local environmental Field Office or your local public works or codes department if you live within an urban area.

Litter and road side dumping is addressed under the TN Litter Law and should be reported to local authorities or Tennessee Highway Patrol- litter control program.

Litter Hotline Click Link Below 

https://www.tn.gov/tdot/environmental-home/environmental-highway-beautification-office/litter.html

Meth Litter

 Meth-lab litter

Common roadside trash or the remnants of a methamphetamine lab? News reports from across the country show it’s important to be knowledgeable about what meth-lab litter looks like. Litter discarded from meth labs can be found along highways, under bridges and in other unexpected places, such as wooded areas and abandoned cars. Meth-lab litter is potentially toxic and should never be picked up or smelled.

Some common methamphetamine-lab waste items include:

• Empty packages of cold/allergy medicine
• Containers attached to tubing (usually with duct tape)
• Unused matches without the striker plate
• Kitty litter bags
• Propane tanks, coolers or thermoses that smell of ammonia
• Empty chemical containers such as alcohol, antifreeze, acetone, drain cleaner and starter fluid
• Gas cans
• Turkey basting wands
• Pyrex or glass containers with remnants of dried chemicals
• Rags with yellow and/or red stains
• Funnels, hosing and clamps

If you suspect that you’ve come across meth-lab litter, move away from the area and call 911. Do not smell any of the waste items, and do not open any coolers or other containers.

Source: Meth Destroys

Littering is trashy

Together we can StopLitter. Tennessee’s had enough.
 

Littering is illegal in Tennessee

 

StopLitter!

 It's on the side of the scenic drive through Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It's in Reelfoot Lake. It's in the lawn of the capitol building in Nashville. It's on your grandmother's doorstep. Litter is everywhere across our state, and Tennesseans are fed up. When we asked what you thought about litter, you said, 

"It's got to stop."

"Enough is ENOUGH."

Litter Facts

 

Stop It! Stop Litter!

Littering is quick and convenient but also nasty and ugly. It’s rude and it’s disrespectful. Tax payers money is used to clean up litter. When you litter animals get sick. When you litter people can trip on it. Some litter is illegal like drugs and if you litter drugs little kids can find them!

Cleaning up litter helps STOP LITTER.

Most people litter after other people litter. If you clean it up than less people litter.

Enforcement of litter law helps STOP LITTER.

If people get fined for littering most will learn.

Providing more trash cans helps STOP LITTER.

Some people litter because there are no trash cans around.

Teaching your child to not litter helps STOP LITTER.

Children sometimes like to litter because they don’t know better.

In Tennessee littering is punishable with big fines and even jail time. Please help Tennessee STOP LITTER!

Tennessee’s Dirty Diary

 

National studies have consistently shown that 18-34 year olds contribute the most to deliberate litter. During the spring of 2006, we contacted 600 18-34 year olds across the state of Tennessee to see what they thought about litter. Here are some of the results. 

Gender and Litter 

While both men and women understand the implications of litter in TN, men are more likely to litter. 8% of men said they litter everyday as opposed to 2% of women. Overall, 57% of women say they never litter. Only 37% of men claim to never litter. 

What is litter? 

99% of respondents thought bottles, cans and cups were litter. Only 58% thought a banana peel or an apple core is litter. 

Age and Litter 

As people get older, they litter less. 

Why is Litter Harmful? 

62% said litter affects the way other people view their communities. 27% thought litter most impacts the environment. 6.5% said it negatively affects economic development. 4.7% said it affects public safety. 

Cigarette Butt Litter 

Only half of the smokers polled said they properly dispose of their cigarette butts (i.e. extinguish in ash receptacles or throw the butts in trash cans). 20% said they frequently toss butts out of their car windows. 

Litter Law Enforcement 

81% of respondents said legal penalties would stop them from littering. 

TN 2007 Litter Law TCA 39-14-5

Tennessee has an average of 5,100 pieces of litter per mile on urban freeways. Thirty percent is deliberate litter from people in vehicles and 70% is negligent litter from unsecured loads. Click the link below to view/print our brochure on TN 2007 Litter Law TCA 39-14-5.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjywvewBcavAVE3iMn8s2iV01iZuoZKZGF6sj4lJsMbKMW-cLBr04muE4bNqSb66_x-uZncqby7T0rfdFquylwJWpGepRQOFB7ezE8LuJse0K6m4CoI95uMjT7LgklwngG7nLBm9RCbddM15JNuqcKlxW2Tlqh5f-twObvt33PXjB1kr25Ct8v8GLim=s1881

Tennessee’s Had Enough. Have You?

 

Litter Hotline Click Here

It's on the side of the scenic drive through Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It's in Reelfoot Lake. It's in the lawn of the capitol building in Nashville. It's on your grandmother's doorstep. Litter is everywhere across our state, and Tennesseans are fed up. When we asked what you thought about litter, you said, 

"It's got to stop."

"Enough is ENOUGH."

Why should you care about litter? Let us count the ways: 

$11,000,000. Yes, you read those zeros right. That's $11 million tax payer dollars our state spends picking up the trash Tennesseans throw down on the ground. That doesn't even count what your city pays to pick up litter in the incorporated areas. 

12,000,000 miles are driven each year picking up litter in our state. Think about all the gas that is needed to fuel trucks for litter pick up. 

18% of all littered items end up in our streams and waterways as pollution. That means litter in our state travels to other states and eventually ends up in the ocean. 

The new Tennessee Litter Law is designed to help reduce some of that trash. Smaller amounts of litter will be punished by a $50 fine, while larger fines are reserved for larger amounts. Offenders can mail in the payment to the county clerk or plead not guilty and face the officer in court. If the judge finds the offender guilty, the person must pay the $50 and court costs. It is hoped that this new law will encourage more enforcement, since the fines are more appropriate for the offenses, and in most cases the officer and the offender will not have to go to court. You can read the entire litter law at the link below.

Tennessee Litter Law