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Department of Ecology News Release - June 22, 2009
09-148
BELLEVUE – High-school-age youths will return to Washington roadsides next week to clean up litter tossed by motorists.
Each summer, teens aged 14 to 17 work four-week paid stints in the Ecology Youth Corps (EYC).
Statewide, 200 teens are gearing up to clean litter from freeway shoulders and interchanges. The EYC will perform about 40 percent fewer hours of cleanup compared to 2008, due to a $4.5 million reduction to the state’s 2009-11 budget for litter prevention and cleanup.
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology), which operates the litter cleanup program, urges motorists to use extra caution when they see the orange “Ecology youth working” signs along state highways.
“These are kids from your neighborhood,” said Steven Williams, who coordinates the EYC in Ecology’s seven-county northwest region. “We work hard to keep them safe and every driver needs to stay alert when passing a litter crew. We’re proud of the work our youths do to help keep our environment clean.”
The young people receive $8.55 per hour. A tax on items that contribute to the litter problem supports Washington’s litter-control efforts.
Last year, the EYC collected more than 1.1 million pounds of litter from roadsides and medians across the state, with nearly 450,000 pounds of it collected in King, Kitsap, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom counties.
EYC lives up to its name as an “Ecology” corps through extensive recycling to reduce its carbon footprint. In 2008 EYC recycled 10.2 tons of aluminum, 55.9 tons of scrap metal, 4.5 tons of plastic bottles and 19.1 tons of glass. This recycling offset 33,320 gallons of fuel, far more than the 23,424 gallons of fuel used by EYC in 2008.
EYC is part of an overall Ecology-coordinated effort that removes more than 6 million pounds of litter and illegally dumped materials statewide. Other participants include county and city community litter-cleanup programs and the state departments of Natural Resources, Transportation, and Corrections, as well as the Parks and Recreation Commission.
“The decreased litter budget makes it more important than ever that people stop littering,” said Peter Christiansen, who manages solid waste programs at Ecology’s regional office in Bellevue. “There are fewer resources to clean it up.”
Littering can draw fines up to $1,025. Fines for illegal dumping are $1,000 to $5,000 plus jail time. To report litter coming from a vehicle, call toll-free to 866-LITTER-1 (866-548-8371).
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Contacts:
Larry Altose, public information, 425-649-7009; Pager 360-663-1785
Steven Williams, EYC coordinator, 425-649-77048
For more information: Ecology Youth Corps: www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/eyc/ Litter: www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/litter/
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
