I've had enough!

Yesterday on my way to work a guy in a pickup truck pulled onto the interstate in front of me. It wasn't long before I saw aluminum cans flying out of the bed of his truck. Maybe he wasn't deliberately littering, but it's littering just the same.

Tennessee has a campaign called Stop Litter: Tennessee's had Enough.

Did you know?

• 48 percent of Tennesseeans polled say they have knowingly thrown trash on the street.


• 1 in 5 people say they do this on a regular basis!


• $11 million tax payer dollars is what 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.

Tennessee also has a Litter Hotline for concerned citizens to take action and report instances of littering. So that's what I did. There's a toll free number (1-877-8-LITTER), or you can submit identifying information online. The form asks for the date and time you witnessed the incident, as well as several other factors. Most importantly, you have to get the license plate number of the offending motorist.


I'll admit, it feels a bit like tattling, but something needs to be done. The state will send a letter to the registered owner of the vehicle informing them of the negative consequences of their littering actions and providing them with educational materials. The letter will include information about how to contain their litter and inform them that litterers can be fined up to $1,500.

It's a start. Maybe that guy will be looking over his shoulder and think twice next time before throwing trash into the back of his pickup.

Find out if your city or state has resources you can use to help wipe out litter. You can find other ways to get involved here.