NC SWANA Conference Derek Smith, Roadside Environmental Engineer April 26, 2018

NC SWANA Conference
Derek Smith, Roadside Environmental Engineer

April 26, 2018

Nation’s second largest state maintained road system
~ 80,000 miles of state maintained roads / 300,000 acres
  NC is the 9th most populous State; 10.5 million;
  Before 2035, 8th; with 12.5 million
 $24 Billion Tourism Industry

2015 North Carolina
      General Assembly Efficiency
      Mandate HB-97 - Budget Bill
ROADSIDE ENVIRONMENTAL UNIT/LITTER PROGRAM
SECTION 29.9A.
The Department of Transportation shall (1) reclassify two
vacant positions within the Division of Highways as Office
Assistant IV positions within the Roadside Environmental
Unit, and the duties of the positions shall include managing
litter programs. The Department shall (2) transfer from the
highway maintenance units to the Roadside Environmental
Unit all management functions and funding related to litter
programs and roadside vegetation management.

2017 North Carolina
             General Assembly
             Page K25 – Line 28
Roadside Environmental
$104,000,000 R

Establishes a new Roadside Environmental Fund
dedicated to funding for vegetation management,
mowing, litter prevention and removal, beautification
efforts and rest areas.          The revised net
appropriation for the Roadside Environmental
Program is $104,000,000 in each year of the
biennium.

NCDOT - Litter Abatement Programs

Adopt-A-Highway Program: Began in 1988; today 4,764
volunteer groups, 2 mile sections of some primary routes
but mostly along secondary routes; DOT provides a sign
recognizing volunteers; Min. of 4 litter removal cycles per
year.

Sponsor-A-Highway Program: Began in 2012 (11 miles);
Today 2 lead companies (CA based) find local businesses
willing to sponsor 1 mile segments of Interstate routes. In
return, the local business receives a sign. The lead
companies hire employees to pick up litter on behalf of the
local business. Currently, 281 interstate segments are
sponsored.

NCDOT - Litter Abatement Programs

Contract Litter Removal (CLR): Currently 64 companies
are under contract with NCDOT to remove litter along
Interstate, Primary and Secondary routes. Some included
within mowing operations

Swat-A-Litterbug: Citizens can electronically or via written
means send NCDOT the license plate of individuals seen
littering the ROW. NCDOT in turn sends a letter to the
registered vehicle owner discouraging this unlawful activity.
Av. 10,000 letters per year.
Litter Sweep: Biannual effort to encourage all citizens to
help remediate litter. April 14-28 and September 15-29,
2018

NCDOT - Litter Abatement Programs

Community Service Litter Removal: Becoming more
popular, utilized by Sheriff Dept. on county/county basis.
State Forces Cleanup and Bag Pickup: In addition to picking
up litter, Division forces remove bagged litter from ROW
following AAH, Litter Sweep, and Community Service litter
removal activities.
Public Schools Awareness: NCDOT provides teacher with
educational   kits  to    educate       students    regarding
environmental and aesthetic issue of litter; NC State Fair
Public Service Announcements: NCDOT investigating best
action plan
Department of Corrections:

6.3 million
             pounds

                                  3.8 million
                                  pounds

80 prisons                 56 prisons (37
                           active litter
                           programs)

Statewide Litter Expenditure
$25,000,000.00

$20,000,000.00

$15,000,000.00                                          Projected Expenditure
                                                        Litter Management
$10,000,000.00                                          DPS Funding

 $5,000,000.00

        $0.00
                 2014   2015   2016     2017    2018

STATEWIDE MILES OF
               CONTRACT LITTER PICKUP

    STATUS         INTERSTATE   PRIMARY   SECONDARY   TOTAL
   Inventory         1,340       13,785     64,545    79,670
% Under Contract     100%         53%        9%        19%

DIVISION PICK UP REPORTS FOR
              MOWING AND LITTER CONTRACTS
            Division         Total Lbs.            Total Tons
                   1         250,481.50            125.24
                   2         438,200.00            219.10
                   3         425,849.00            212.92
                   4         1,057,188.00          528.59
                   5         397,720.00            198.86
                   6         585,554.00            292.78
                   7         516,262.00            258.13
                   8         184,970.00            92.49
                   9         504,660.00            252.33
                  10         1,159,780.00          579.89
                  11         385,471.00            192.74
                  12         545,516.00            272.76
                  13         338,000.00            169.00
                  14         255,613.00            127.81
                Totals       7,045,264.50          3,522.63

Note: All contract litter pickup reported beginning March 1, 2017 as of January 29, 2018.

Administrative Office of the Courts
              Report

• 3,320 Littering Charges
• 1,078 Convictions

THANK YOU.
WE APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS
REGARDING LITTER MANAGEMENT

2 SPONSOR A Highway Participants

Adopt-A-Highway Litter Removal
Service of America, Inc.
4407 Manchester Avenue, #201
Encinitas, CA 92024
Phone: (800) 499-2367
www.sponsorahighwaynorthcarolina.net
Paige@adoptahighway.net
info@adoptahighway.net
Adopt A Highway Maintenance
Corporation
3158 Red Hill Avenue, Suite 200
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Phone: (800) 200-0003 Ext. 314
www.adoptahighway.com/
CTotays@adoptahighway.com

•   The Litter pick up program along NCDOT routes dates back to when the Department of Corrections
    (DOC) had a prison in each of the State’s 100 counties. They were responsible for litter pickup of all
    routes in that respective county utilizing gun crews and minimum security crews while coordinating these
    pickups with NCDOT supervisors.

•   In 1998 the Appropriations Act empowered the transfer of funding from NCDOT starting in 1999 to the
    then DOC in the amount of $6.5M for litter pickup statewide. It went up as high as $11.3M in 2005-2009
    then to $9.04M. In the 2018 Appropriations Act the transfer of funds to DPS was halted by the Legislature.

•   In 2009, the number of prisons in operation had fallen to 80. Presently there are 56 prisons statewide with
    only 37 of those actively involved in litter pickup. Division 14 has only one prison in a 10 county Division
    available for litter pickup help while Division 11 has only two in an eight county Division. This drop is
    evident as shown by the pounds removed being 6,299,850 in 2010 down to 3,797,805 in 2014 by DPS.

•   In 2016, contract litter pickup accelerated as one method to supplement the DPS inmate litter program.
    With this initial available funding however, there was only enough money to cover the major routes and it
    did not provide an adequate number of pickup cycles. With new funding appropriations in 2018, NCDOT
    was able to cover 100% of the Interstate routes, 53% of the Primary routes and 9% of the Secondary
    routes which included the Adopt-A-Highway and Sponsor-A-Highway Programs. NCDOT still receives
    many complaints about Primary and Secondary routes that are not picked up in regular cycles due to
    funding shortfalls.

•   Some solutions that could aid in decreasing the litter epidemic are the creation of Public Service
    Announcements televised on radio and television. Another program utilizes NCDOT employees to travel
    statewide to schools and civic clubs promoting and sharing the anti-litter education programs. The
    possible use of County jail inmates or Community Service offenders coordinated through that county’s
    Sheriff in a program to pick up litter is another option.

SECRETARY TROGDON’S GOALS

4-G. Develop a plan and budget to improve roadside appearance to support NC brand,
but also include options for expanding local enhancements (i.e. art in ROW, bridges,
etc.).