Litter Trashes Everyone
Litter doesn't just affect the appearance of South Carolina. It has a significant environmental and economic impact on the state. With efforts to make the public aware of the effects of litter growing more intense every day, South Carolinians are realizing that litter is a real problem in our state. And it's not just our pride that's hurting.
When It's Not in the Trash Can, It Comes Out of Our Pockets
Talk about throwing our money away! Picking up litter from public roads, parks, highways and waterways cost money - millions of dollars a year. And guess who pays for it? South Carolina taxpayers just like you.
Wrappers, Cans, Butts and Old Tires - What's the Attraction?
Tourists from outside of South Carolina spend $6.6 billion in our state every year. But we've never met a tourist who actually liked looking at litter. Let's make sure those who choose to spend their vacation time and money in South Carolina don't make their first visit their last.
It's Not Nice (or Smart) to Mess Up Mother Nature
There's nothing like a nice walk on the beach in the morning (as long as you don't step on that broken bottle) or a romantic evening in the park under the stars (except for all those cigarette butts around the bench). You can take the kids canoeing (and explain that those aluminum cans don't grow there) or maybe spend a day shopping downtown (pay no attention to the litter along the curb). Trash is more than an eyesore, it's hazardous to the health of the environment. Old tires become mosquito breeding grounds. Discarded fishing line can seriously injure fish and birds. Plastic bottles, bags and packaging can pollute our land and water for thousands of years to come.
2.2 MILLION POUNDS (And that's just how much we picked up!)
During the 2004 Great American Cleanup, over 21,000 South Carolina volunteers picked up more than 2.2 million pounds of trash in over 363 events around the state. Volunteers cleaned up over 190 illegal dumpsites in our forests and parks.