Pelican State News

The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is intensifying its litter removal activities as part of Love the Boot week. This initiative runs from April 5-13 and is in partnership with Keep Louisiana Beautiful and other statewide partners. Although the Love the Boot week is a focal point, DOTD's efforts to clean roadways occur year-round. In the fiscal year 2024, DOTD allocated approximately $13.6 million to litter pickup, clearing more than 18 Olympic-size swimming pools worth of waste, in an effort to preserve the cleanliness and safety of state roads.

“DOTD spends more than $13 million annually removing other people’s trash from state roadways,” stated Todd Donmyer, DOTD Assistant Secretary of Operations. He expressed frustration, noting, “This is tax money that could be used to repave more than 100 miles of state roadways. Because litter is 100 percent preventable, it’s very frustrating to spend time and money picking up litter in a particular location and have litter quickly regenerate in the same location.”

In response to the ongoing litter challenge, DOTD secured an additional $3 million from the state legislature, leading to the hiring of a contractor to tackle litter on busy state routes. The initiative was first enforced in New Orleans in time for the Super Bowl, with crews gathering nearly 900 cubic yards of litter. The second phase is now focusing on removing waste from major interstates such as I-10, I-12, I-20, I-110, and I-610, with plans to extend the efforts to more populated rural routes by the year's end.

DOTD is urging Louisiana residents to contribute to the cleanliness of the state by disposing of waste properly and engaging in local cleanup activities. Additional information on participation can be found at www.keeplouisianabeautiful.org, and updates on DOTD's efforts are available on their Facebook, Instagram, and X platforms.