The Missouri Department of Transportation is looking for volunteers to help clean up Missouri roadways.

MoDOT’s annual outreach event, “No MOre Trash! Bash” is its litter control program to encourage Missourians to “pitch in and pick up” during the month of April. The program helps bring down the costs litter control and clears the roads of trash and debris before the start of the mowing season.

MoDOT spent $7.7 Million in 2022 to remove litter from more than 385-thousand acres of right of way along nearly 34-thousand state highway miles.

MoDOT crews and additional litter pickup contracts in Kansas City and Saint Louis expect to increase that amount to more than nine million dollars in 2023.

MoDOT will provide trash bags and safety vests to anyone who volunteers for the “No MOre Trash! Bash”.

While MoDOT encourages all Missourians to participate in the No MOre Trash! Bash, there are other simple ways to help eliminate trash along the state’s roadways:

Don’t litter. Keep a bag for trash in your car or truck and wait to dispose of it properly. Littering is a class A misdemeanor in Missouri. Anyone convicted of littering may be imprisoned in the county jail for up to one year and fined up to $1,000 per incident. Illegal disposal of solid waste may be punishable as a Class D felony with fines of $20,000 or higher.
Secure your load. Make sure nothing blows out or gets bumped into the roadway. In addition to creating litter, unsecured loads can be a safety hazard to the vehicles behind you. Missouri statutes (Missouri Revised Statutes 307.010) and various city ordinances require all loads in transport must be secured. Trailers without sides must be completely covered by tarps, truck tailgates must be up and the disposal items cannot be hanging off the vehicle in any way. Any vehicle without its load completely covered will be assessed a $25 unsecured load fee.

To learn more about how you can safely participate, visit www.modot.org/adopt-highway

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story