SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Every time you chuck some garbage out your car’s window while you’re cruising down the highway, it costs you. And your neighbor.
That’s according to the Illinois Department of Transportation, whose spokesperson Paul Wappel says the state spent $41 million last year to clean up all that trash that piled up.
“If people would just empty the trash when you stop wherever you’re going, don’t throw it on the road,” said Paul Wappel, IDOT spokesman. “Don’t throw it on the highways. It’s unsightly. It’s dangerous. And, it cost taxpayers a lot of money.”
Plus, Wappel says littering is, indeed, illegal.
“You’re subject to be fined up to $1,500 in the State of Illinois,” said Wappel. “You also may be required to maintain litter control for a portion of the highway for up to 30 days.”
IDOT claims during the pandemic, much more littering took place.
Wappel says there’s plenty of real estate yet that local groups could help clean up, too, through the “Adopt-a-Highway” program.
The state is launching a new “Think Before You Throw!” messaging campaign.
