Funding Cuts Spark Litter Crisis on Washington Roads

Get ready to see a lot of garbage on the side of roads in the Washington State this year as state officials cut the Ecology Youth Corps program because of a lack of funding.

OFFICIALS SAY THEY CAN'T KEEP UP WITH ALL THE STUFF THAT'S LITTERING ROADSIDES

According to Rod Hankinson the Central Region litter administrator with the Department of Ecology while the youth corps won't be operating general litter pickup will continue. However Hankinson says his crews can't keep up with the amount of garbage that's ending up on the sides of roads in the state including on I-82 between Yakima and the Tri-Cities.

MUCH OF THE GARBAGE FLIES OFF OF VEHICLES

He calls it a "never ending battle." Hankinson says 30 percent of the garbage on the sides of state highways is coming from unsecured loads of drivers who have no intention of littering. He says it's all about behavior modification. In other words he wants drivers to start thinking more about securing and covering loads that could be blown out of a vehicle by the wind.

WHILE NO YOUTH CREWS WILL BE WORKING ADULT CREWS START NEXT WEEK

Adult crews will start next week but he says it'll be tough to try and get ahead of the problem that has become worse because of a lack of funding and the COVID-19 pandemic. Hankinson says the slow downs and cost shifts made during the pandemic are still impacting the ability to hire crews.

IF YOU CARE IT'S TIME TO START AN ADOPT A HIGHWAY PROGRAM

He's hoping communities or community groups get involved with the Adopt-a-Highway program. He says trying to clean up the state after a long winter has become a "daunting task" and he's hoping more people get involved in helping to keep Washington green.