Arkansas DOT Building ‘Anti-Littering’ Highway Displays

The Arkansas Department of Transportation is building new “anti-litter displays” that will be rotated among several highway locations statewide in the coming months.

[Above photo by ARDOT]

Travelers along Arkansas highways will see a series of blue highway signs – made in-house by ARDOT employees – with anti-litter messaging. The first sign will read, “ARDOT spends over $8 million per year combatting litter.” A second one will say, “Are you part of the problem or the solution?” The third sign will read, “Please help us keep Arkansas natural.”

At the end of the three signs, the public will see five-foot-tall wire mesh letters spelling out “NATURAL?” The wire letters are hollow and will be filled with litter that has been picked up by crews in the area, the agency said.

“The average taxpayer may not know how much ARDOT spends each year picking up litter from our highways,” noted Steve Frisbee, ARDOT assistant chief engineer for maintenance, in a statement. “Our goal is to raise awareness for all Arkansans and travelers in our state.”

“Arkansas is ‘The Natural State,’ and we, as the Arkansas DOT, have a unique responsibility to help preserve the beauty that surrounds our infrastructure,” added Jared Wiley, ARDOT’s director. “In addition to the money we spend on litter pickup each year, we are always exploring new ways to combat the litter problem. We hope these litter letters resonate with the traveling public and spur positive change.”