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Department of Ecology News Release - July 1, 2003
03-134
OLYMPIA - A new partnership has been created among the state Department of Ecology (Ecology) and several Washington businesses and broadcasters to do something about Washington's litter problem.
Ecology is launching a campaign today to distribute 1.25 million litter bags to Washington drivers around the state, with help from McDonald's restaurants, FOX Sports Net Northwest, Warm 106.9 FM, the Washington Forest Protection Association, the SuperMall in Auburn, Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Pacific Science Center in Seattle.
Each bag carries litter-prevention messages and lists the fines associated with littering.
"We're excited about the support our partners are giving the campaign," said Megan Warfield, who coordinates Ecology's litter program. "Keeping litter off the roads is a tough and expensive job, and it's great to have such tremendous support from our partners. The 'Litter and it will hurt' campaign is raising awareness, but we need everyone to put litter in its place to help make it a success."
Today, selected McDonald's restaurants statewide will begin promoting the "Litter and it will hurt" campaign with in-store tray-liner advertisements and by offering a litter bag to each drive-through customer, while supplies last.
"McDonald's restaurants in Washington state are partnering with Ecology to make a visible statement that we are concerned about roadside litter and want to do something to help," said Karen McKay, McDonald's spokesperson at DDB Public Relations in Seattle.
In July, litter bags also will be distributed at vehicle emission-test stations in Clark, Pierce, King, Snohomish and Spokane Counties.
Ecology's "Litter and it will hurt" campaign uses many strategies to help reduce littering on roadways, hoping to influence litterers to change their behavior. The July litterbag distribution program accompanies a media campaign on Mariners radio and television broadcast networks and on billboards in the Seattle, Spokane, Tacoma and Vancouver areas. Other campaign elements include road signs, a toll-free hotline to report litter coming from vehicles and a Web site.
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Media contacts: Megan Warfield, litter program coordinator, 360-407-
6963
Caitlin Cormier, public information manager, 360-407-6149; pager, 360-971-5536
Karen McKay, DDB Public Relations, 206-344-3379
Litter hotline: To report littering from a vehicle, call toll-free 866-LITTER-1 (866-548-8371)
Litter-prevention Web site: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/litter/
More information on the "Litter and It Will Hurt" campaign: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/litter/campaign.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
