DAYTON — The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) said that every year is spend $10 million picking up litter on the highways.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
As reported on News Center 7 at 5:00 p.m., ODOT maintains 50,000 miles of State Highway, and 80,000 acres of right-of-way.
On its website, it says that’s a lot of ground to cover, and a lot of litter to collect.
TRENDING STORIES:
- 30-year-old man killed in motorcycle crash on State Route 4
- Actor Selma Blair taken into custody by police responding to physically abusive passenger on plane
- Erie shooting: Police identify gunman, victims
Alice, a Dayton resident, told New Center 7’s Taylor Robertson that trash lying around outside is a problem.
“Here lately, it’s been a lot. And it’s disappointing,” Alice said. “You know, I grew up in Dayton, and we always cared about where we lived at. It seems like some people just don’t care anymore.”
Keep Ohio Beautiful partners with ODOT to clean up litter along Ohio roads.
They say every year, people drop around 11,000 tons of litter.
They find things as small as cigarette butts to as large as furniture.
Right now, ODOT is getting its winter trucks ready to clear snow and ice off the roadways.
On its website, ODOT says every hour crews spend picking up trash is one less hour they are out patching potholes or plowing snow.
“I believe it, because I’m looking at it every day and it doesn’t matter what community you’re in as well; it seems like it’s getting worse everywhere,” Alice said.
Alice said seeing all the trash is disappointing.
“You feel bad about where you live, and you pay all this money, you know, you want to live well,” Alice said.
ODOT says the solution to this problem is 100% preventable by simply throwing things in the trash can.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]