Urge Massachusetts State Leaders to Launch a Litter Prevention & Cleanup Task Force

From Cape Cod to Boston to the Berkshires and everywhere in between, litter is visible along virtually every Massachusetts highway, sidewalk, public park, hiking trail, and beach.

Every year, local and state government spends millions of dollars cleaning up this mess. Thousands of volunteers from Keep Massachusetts Beautiful and other volunteer groups donate countless hours battling the ever-growing piles of litter.

Yet virtually no money or effort is dedicated to LITTER PREVENTION in Massachusetts.

With this petition, we are urging our Governor, state and local legislators, and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to clean up the mess in Massachusetts by launching a statewide Litter Prevention & Cleanup Task Force. A key component of this Task Force would be to launch an Anti-Litter Public Awareness Campaign that would include:

• A consistent, memorable, Massachusetts-themed anti-littering slogan
• Messaging could be displayed on electronic message boards along our highways, as well as on MassDOT-managed and donated billboards
• Public Service Announcements could be broadcast on TV and radio, local cable access channels, social media, and be integrated with Registry of Motor Vehicles communications to drivers
• A dedicated page on the Keep Massachusetts Beautiful website could include additional anti-litter resources and education

We also urge our state leaders to step up enforcement of existing anti-litter laws. The existing signs along Massachusetts highways that warn of fines of up to $15,000 are an empty threat without any actual enforcement. Trucks with improperly covered loads also contribute to the problem. The State should provide MassDOT with the additional resources necessary to keep our major highways litter-free all year long, and demand greater accountability for achieving litter reduction goals.

Other states across the U.S. have similar campaigns that have raised awareness about litter prevention and educated people of all ages to dispose of their trash properly. This includes:

• Don’t Mess With Texas www.dontmesswithtexas.org
• Nobody Trashes Tennessee www.nobodytrashestennessee.com
• Keep Delaware Litter Free www.governor.delaware.gov/litter-free
• Virginia is For Lovers, Not Litter www.loversnotlitter.org

Please contact the Governor, your state representative, state senator, and the head of MassDOT and let them know it’s past time to get serious about making Massachusetts litter-free. You can download a letter template at www.KeepMassBeautiful.org/GMC and scroll down to download the “Litter Free Mass Letter.”  

Here is how you can contact state leaders:

• The Governor: Visit https://www.mass.gov/forms/email-the-governors-office to send an email, call (617) 725-4005, or mail a letter to the Governor’s attention at Massachusetts State House, 24 Beacon St., Office of the Governor, Room 280, Boston, MA 02133.
• The Director of MassDOT: email jamey.tesler@state.ma.us, call  617-973-7000, or mail a letter to his attention at Ten Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116.
• Find your State Representative or State Senator at https://malegislature.gov/legislators and contact them via phone, email, or mail.

Thank you for your support. Together, we can keep Massachusetts Beautiful and litter-free!