Welcome to Skagit County
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May 27, 2003
Corrections Offenders pick up 150 tons of trash annually SKAGIT COUNTY – Illegal dumpsites and roadside litter continue to be a problem in Skagit County. To help reduce the problem, Skagit County Public Works staff is participating in the “Litter and It Will Hurt” campaign with the Washington State Department of Ecology to make sure people know that fines for littering range from $95 for a fast-food wrapper, to $950 for a lit cigarette, to as much as $5,000 plus jail time for illegal dumping. Skagit County will air public service announcements on government access channels, issue news releases, and speak to groups about this expensive problem. The campaign runs from May 26 through the week of June 22 and again from July 21 through August 17. Part of the campaign is to encourage people to report the license numbers of litterers by calling 866-LITTER-1. The registered owner will receive a stern letter from the Washington State Patrol. Working with the Department of Corrections Offenders, Skagit County Public Works cleans up more than 400 dumpsites annually, cleans more than 800 acres of public lands and picks up more than 900 miles of roadside shoulders each year. Approximately 4,500 crew hours are required annually to accomplish this task, according to Gary Sorensen, Solid Waste Section Manager. Across the State of Washington, an estimated 6 million pounds of litter wind up in parks and recreational areas and 16 million pounds land on roadways – one pound of litter per mile per day. Approximately 65 tons of cigarette butts are tossed on roads each year, equal to 260 million cigarette butts.
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