LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Caltrans asks motorists to “Slow for the Cone Zone” as Caltrans Maintenance crews statewide dedicate Thursday, April 25, to litter removal for this year's Annual Litter Day.
The Lakeport crew will be picking up litter on Highway 29 from post marker 40 to 44, according to Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie.
Last year, Caltrans picked up 2,533 cubic yards of litter on Earth Day alone. That much litter would fill 158 garbage trucks, and was the largest single day litter pick up event in the nation.
Litter is still a big problem in California. Every year Caltrans spends millions of dollars and thousands of hours picking it up.
Litter is not only ugly; it can lead to pollution in our lakes, rivers, and beaches. Cigarette butts are the number one item littered in California – they are discarded by the millions, often causing roadside fires, clogging storm drains, and threatening our water quality and wildlife.
In addition, motorists face the risk of accident, injury, and death as the result of trash and other debris that falls from vehicles hauling unsecured and untarped loads.
“Please do your part and ‘Don’t Trash California’ – not only can we save millions of dollars that could be spent on improving safety, but it will also help Caltrans workers and volunteers who spend a lot of time and energy keeping California beautiful,” said Mark Suchanek, Caltrans District 1 deputy district director for Maintenance and Operations.