KLB sponsors Fourth Annual Zero Tolerance for Litter weekend

Submitted by admin on Tue, 04/01/2008 - 16:15

Baton Rouge – Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB), in cooperation with the Louisiana State Police and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is sponsoring its fourth annual anti-litter campaign weekend, Friday through Sunday, April 4, to April 6. Zero Tolerance For Litter raises awareness for citizens on the consequences of littering and dumping. The effort is intended to send a strong message from enforcement agencies that litterers will be actively pursued and fined.

With the assistance of Louisiana State Police and the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, law enforcement agencies across the state are working with KLB to implement Zero Tolerance weekend policies for their own jurisdictions.

Littering in Louisiana can result in fines from $50 to $5,000 and from four to 100 hours of community service. In addition, driver’s license suspension and jail time are possible penalties. KLB encourages citizens to clean out truck beds, and to refrain from throwing cigarette butts or other trash out windows or watercraft to avoid ticketing.

Along with issuing citations, the program is designed to raise awareness among Louisianans about the consequences of littering and dumping. Some facts of interest include:

Litter costs Louisiana taxpayers more than $15 million annually.

Litter can affect the environment hurting everything from fish breeding grounds to contributing to flooding problems.

“Now in its fourth year, Zero Tolerance is gaining more awareness than ever. Through the help of Louisiana State Police and Wildlife and Fisheries, citizens are coming to realize the negative affects of litter and are understanding the consequences of littering and illegal dumping,” commented KLB Executive Director Leigh Harris.

Keep Louisiana Beautiful is a volunteer based service organization dedicated to a healthy and litter free Louisiana. Through a network of statewide affiliates, KLB promotes its mission to educate Louisianans on the ecological and economic effects of littering. For more information, visit www.keeplouisianabeautiful.org.