Washington state spends over $12 million a year picking up litter. The Washington State Department of Ecology’s campaign distributed thousands of litter bags for cars.
The best solutions can seem simple — like the Washington State Department of Ecology’s “Simple As That” campaign that put trash bags into drivers’ cars to reduce littering on the roadways. But it took innovative partnerships across public and private sectors to bring the campaign to people who needed it at the right time and the right place.
To reduce littering, DH recently worked with Ecology, along with their partners at the Department of Transportation, the Washington State Patrol, and other agencies to expand “Simple As That.”
Roadside litter is a major challenge for Washington. Every year, Washingtonians drop 38 million pounds of litter on highways, roads and public areas. That’s about five pounds of trash for every person in the state.
The state spends more than $12 million each year picking up litter. Paid crews and volunteers collected 11.2 million pounds in 2023. However, even that effort only addressed a fraction of the problem.
Retail partnerships
To distribute reusable trash bags, DH placed advertising and coordinated partnerships with grocery stores across the state. In September, DH helped Fred Meyer and Rosauers stores distribute 10,000 reusable trash bags to drivers statewide.
Connecting with retail partners who have shared values and community connections through Washington was essential to the campaign’s success. Fred Meyer and Rosauers have deep roots in Washington and are leaders in corporate social responsibility. Both companies lead their own waste-reduction initiatives that align with Ecology’s efforts.
One of the top reasons people litter: They simply don’t have trash bags in their vehicles. The Washington State Department of Ecology’s campaign distributed thousands.
Community partnerships
We also recognized that cultures and regions have different norms, regulations and services available for waste management. To help connect with new residents just learning about Washington’s waste programs, Ecology partnered with community-based organizations to distribute “We Keep WA Litter Free” bags to new Washingtonians. To reach this priority audience, especially those who might speak English as a second language, DH worked with the Community Health Workers Coalition for Migrant and Refugees, Refugee & Immigrant Services Northwest, Nuestra Casa and the Martin Luther King Jr. Family Outreach Center.
Learn more about this campaign by visiting the websites below:
English:
LitterFreeWA.org/simple
Spanish:
PorUnWAImpecable.org/simple