Trashy reputation? Don’t let pandemic lower bar on litter control in Pierce County

COVID-19 has set Washington back in numerous ways, but litter is among the most visible. From cigarette butts to take-out trash, people are using state highways and local sidewalks as personal garbage cans.

Due to virus safety concerns, litter pick-up crews across the state have been reduced by about 70 percent, Amber Smith, spokesperson for the Washington Department of Ecology, told us last week.

By this time last year, roadside crews such as the Ecology Youth Corps had picked up more than 993,000 pounds of trash from Washington highways. Compare that to the mere 350,000 pounds collected this year.

But a global pandemic isn’t the only reason trash is piling up; most of Washington’s litter trouble is attributable to woefully inadequate funding. Local and state governments have slacked off when it comes to pick-up and prevention, and it shows.

Once upon a time, Washington’s litter prevention efforts were a national model. In 2005, “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” even highlighted the state’s campaign against “trucker bombs” – bottles of urine that drivers throw along Washington’s roadways.

But in 2009, the Legislature diverted litter funds, reduced the number of litter pick-up crews and discontinued the prevention campaign and reporting hotline.

To their credit, lawmakers resurrected that funding last year through a litter tax. Part of their abatement plan included a new website with an online litter-reporting tool, mobile app, local government toolkit and sponsorship program.

But when Gov. Jay Inslee took emergency COVID action, funds from the litter tax froze and may even be used to offset the state’s budget deficit. Let’s hope not. Responsible litter control shouldn’t be shelved.

Cleaning up the state is not only essential for the environment and healthy human living, it’s integral to public safety. Unsecured vehicle loads contribute to 40 percent of roadside litter and last year caused 154 collisions on state highways, according to Smith.

Pierce County litter prevention also needs a reboot. With its many museums, parks and walkable waterways, Tacoma is a tourist destination. We can’t afford our reputation to be trashed.

A year ago, Tacoma embarked on a plan to address cleanliness in the downtown Theater District, an area that typically collects about 56,000 gallons of waste per week, according to the city’s Solid Waste Management Department.

City Council member Robert Thoms fought for a $400,000 proposal that would have, among other items, installed 28 secured, covered trash cans from Sixth Avenue to 11th Street between Court D and Court A.

But due to COVID budget impacts, that pilot program was put on hold — a fact that angers Thoms, the city’s de facto Pied Piper of litter clean-up. “If we can’t address curb appeal,” Thoms said, “We lose the trust to deal with loftier goals.”

It’s why he’s now researching a Homeless Clean Work program. No doubt a proposal to enlist people experiencing homelessness to pick up trash will kick up controversy, but from a public health perspective, a cleaner city serves everyone.

For now, litter control has largely been left to citizens like Cheri Solien, a retired teacher who’s dedicated countless hours picking up trash in areas like Titlow Park. Solien was encouraged last year when Mayor Victoria Woodards made her Keep Tacoma Clean Proclamation and provided Dumpsters for each city district to hold a clean-up day.

Volunteers created Litter Free 253, a grassroots coalition determined to clean up Tacoma. They show up at City Council meetings and have asked Metro Parks Tacoma to amp up their anti-litter campaigns to include signage in green spaces.

Metro Parks spokesperson Nancy Johnson said there won’t be any anti-litter signs in parks, citing what she called, “sign fatigue,” but she said the agency will soon push a “Pack it in, Pack it out” social media campaign.

Perhaps local and state governments should take a page out of JBLM’s playbook. As TNT reporter Abbie Shull recently highlighted, illegal dumping has gotten so out of hand, military leaders hired an environmental investigator or “trash cop” to go after offenders.

But trash cops alone won’t solve Washington’s litter problems. Responsibility ultimately rests with all who live and work in our communities. As Solien told us, “Tacoma’s litter warriors are far and few between,” and they can’t fight the battle alone.