Litter is a big problem not just here in North Texas, but across the state.
On Tuesday, a state senate sub-committee will begin looking into the issue as part of the 84th legislature's Senate Interim Charges. The Ag, Water and Rural Affairs committee will be studying the effects of windblown and water borne litter on the state. Specifically at the economic impacts of litter and the successful efforts to combat it.
Fort Worth Code Compliance Director Brandon Bennett will go to Austin for Tuesday's hearing to share what Cowtown is doing to reduce litter.
Along the major highway corridors in Fort Worth, it's hard to miss all the trash spilling from the side of the road and into neighborhoods.
"It was a place that just didn't look real attractive," said Rick Neves, chief operating officer of Christ Chapel Bible Church.
At Interstate 30 and Montgomery Street, the trash got so bad that the church decided to adopt the median between its property and the highway.
"Kind of keep this area looking a little better than it might if it was only maintained by the city only," Neves said.
The city doesn't have the rescues to clean-up as often or as much litter as it would like, as staff was reduced following the economic downturn. Instead, those doing community service are relied upon than city staff, but even they are being used in parks more than on streets or busy intersections.
Despite the short comings in personnel, a million pounds of litter is collected each year, according to Bennett.
"How many McDonald's cups would it take to be a million pounds of litter? That is a lot," Bennett said.
This year the city council approved $260,000 to expand the city's Concentrated Litter Abatement Program (CLAP). That money will add city staff to be dedicated to the litter program.
The city will also acquire what is known by the code compliance department as a "suck truck." Instead of a street sweeper, it actually will vacuum up lightweight litter and will have a vacuum on the side for a worker to walk alongside to clean-up a fence line or sidewalk.
The council also approved $96,000 to expand the litter contract focused on the Interstate 35W / Interstate 30 interchange.
The city is also looking at other innovative ways to reduce the amount of litter on the streets. Those ideas include adding more trash bins along heavily walked areas, like beneath the mixmaster where homeless often gather. There are also paths from convenience stores and fast food restaurants that see a fair amount of littering from those walking.
Then there's an idea to give more drivers an opportunity to properly dispose of trash.
"We have a lot of underpasses that have a lot of asphalt," Bennett said. "To where we can have a turnout to have a large trash barrel."
The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce is also being used to reach out to businesses to add more trash receptacles on their properties and keep their properties maintained so that debris doesn't blow into neighborhoods.
Reducing litter along the highways and adjoining neighborhoods means workers can address more areas in the city.
"So that we can push our efforts closer to the neighborhoods and actually do more lane miles each year," Bennett said.
Not littering is the first message, of course. Education remains a part of program, as well, but the hope is the city's new efforts and the efforts of citizens will put a big dent in the big litter problem.
At Christ Chapel Bible Church, Neves says it's really just one church member who does the work.
"It's a Saturday morning, you know, to keep it clean, and maybe it's once a month," he said.
Church members will gather in groups from time to time to keep their median clean and other parts of the Arlington Heights neighborhood cleaned up.
The city has also recently made it easier to adopt a street, intersection or median. As much as the city can help address the problem, if citizens and businesses don't get involved, the litter problem may very well persist.
