- Minnesota spends $5 Million a year collecting litter- not counting what cities and counties spend.
- Tipping Fees imposed by landfills cost Minnesota Department of Transportation $250,000 per year
- Adopt a Highway
- Adopt a Highway Volunteers save Minnesota Department of Transportation $6.9 Million per year
- Adopt a Highway Volunteers pick up litter on more than 12,000 miles of Minnesota Roads
- Adopt a Highway Volunteers pick up approximated 26,000 tons of litter every year
- Litter Record- 1 Day Sweep in I35W (Minneeapolis) Volunteers picked up 192 tons of trash in 1 day.
- Misdemeanor- entered on driving record.
- 2nd office a minimum fine of $400 up to $700
- Minnesota Department of Transportation can bill an individual for retrieving and disposing of illegal dumped items.
- Prisoners- Sentencing to Service (STS): Selected, non-violent offenders sentenced by the court to work on community improvement projects in combination with jail time, or as a probation sanction. Started in 1986, about 30,000 offenders participate in STS annually across the state, working over one million hours.
- Collecting trash on highway shoulder costs about $2 Million per year
- Open dumps create a public nuisance, divert land from more productive uses and depress the value of surrounding land. They can also pose the following health, safety and environmental threats:
- Fire and explosion
- Injury to children playing in or around the dump site
- Disease carried by mosquitoes, flies and rodents
- Contamination of streams, rivers and lakes
- Contamination of soil and groundwater
- Contamination of drinking water wells
- Damage to plant and wildlife habitats
- Decrease in the quality of life to nearby communities and residents”
According to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency projections, state residents will get rid of 10 million pounds of televisions and another 10 million pounds of computers, monitors, laptops and printers next year. Disposing of the equipment can cost from $5 to more than $25.
State highway department workers called Morrison County officials and asked why they were finding a flurry of TVs and monitors in ditches. The county’s environmental specialist said other residents resorted to wrapping electronics in black plastic bags and leaving them at landfills anyway
St. Paul- City officials say they have received more than 36,000 complaints over the past two years and have picked up 300 tons of trash in public areas, but they are still searching for solutions.
Litter and garbage is a serious issue we can all get involved in. Next time your walking down the street, visiting a park or traveling to your favorite destination stop and pickup litter. If many of us practice this simple thing, it will catch on and make a difference in our environment.
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Organic Disposal in Chaska, MN collects organics and has them processed into useable compost. An excellent way to dispose of organic wastes.