Weakley County Highway Department


Litter Supervisor Deborah James, Sparkey the Litter Mascot, and other community members and volunteers rally support for a litter free Weakley County.

2012 Weakley County Highway Litter Grant Program Float, sponsored by TDOT


The Weakley County Litter Grant Program for several years has entered a float into various annual festivals and countywide community events.  This float educates the targeted areas of public, students, media, business and government to keep Tennessee clean.  

Weakley County is involved with all targeted areas to stop littering and to reduce, reuse and recycle.  Through the leadership of Weakley County Highway Department’s, Kermit Hopper, Road Supervisor, in Fiscal Year 2011-2012, Weakley County picked up 115,520 pounds of roadside litter and covered 202 miles on county roadside right of ways.

Landa Harris, Grant Administrator and Educational Coordinator continually spearheads innovative and creative ways to educate litter prevention in her county. Deborah James, is with the litter pickup team and assists Ms. Harris on educational opportunities. 

Mr. Houston Patrick, Weakley County Mayor, supports this grant and his employees in their pickups and educational efforts to ready employees and County Mayor Patrick for their diverse and continual participation in this litter grant in Weakley County.  Thanks to Weakley County Litter Grant Program, Highway Department.


WEAKLEY COUNTY LITTER PROGRAM
608 County Maintenance Road
Dresden, TN 38225
ruralrds@crunet.com

Hours of Operation: 6:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Monday - Thursday

Deborah James - Litter Supervisor
Landa Harris - Litter Program Coordinator



WELCOME

The purpose of the Weakley County Litter Program is to provide the citizens with a beautiful clean county in which they can be proud to live. This program entices prospective residents and rids the county of unsightly litter on roadsides and in illegal dumps.

Our goal is to improve and beautify right of ways on all Weakley County roads; to rid the county of all illegal dumpsites; to erect signs of reminders of criminal littering consequences; and to participate in all area activities to educate the public about litter prevention.

The Tennessee Litter Grant Program was created to address the growing litter problem in Tennessee, a specialty tax on the malt beverage and soft drink industry funds the Tennessee Litter Grant Program. This program is designed for the pick-up and prevention of all litter.

Approximately $5 million is raised annually and is distributed to all 95 counties in Tennessee for their use in this endeavor. A minimum grant of $31,737 and a maximum grant of $308,866 in 2002 were determined by county road miles and county population for an equitable distribution. These funds can only be spent on costs incurred through roadside litter collection and prevention education programs. There are five education target populations: students, adults, media, government and business.


Litter Hotline
(731) 364-3018 or (731) 364-6798

This hotline was created to alert Litter personnel of unsightly dump areas or to report litter being placed in illegal dumpsites or thrown from cars. All callers will remain anonymous.

If your name is found in an illegal dumpsite you will be served with a summons to appear in court. You will be expected to defend yourself as to why your name was found in this illegal dumpsite. If you are found guilty, the punishment is the payment of court costs, fines, and serving community service in the litter cleanup.

During 2003, 65,875 lbs. of litter were picked up from the Weakley County right of ways and illegal dumpsites.


Litter Education

The Litter Program has a mascot, Sparky, a large squirrel. Sparky travels to the Weakley County Schools along with the Litter staff educating the elementary children on litter prevention. During each litter education visit, the children are given litter prevention pamphlets, coloring books, pencils, rulers, and etc.

The Litter Program prepares and enters floats in area parades. Sparky rides these floats reminding all people to be litter free.

 

Check out this Litter Fact Sheet. (PDF file)

 

In order to help address the litter problem in Tennessee, a specialty tax on the malt beverage and soft drink industry funds the Tennessee Department of Transportation Litter Grant Program. Grant funds are contracted to county governments for use in litter pickup and prevention activities.

Approximately $5 million is raised annually from this tax and a portion of those funds are distributed to all 95 counties in Tennessee. The amount each county receives is determined by calculations based on county road miles and county population. A percentage of these funds are often re-distributed to local Keep Tennessee Beautiful Affiliates to use for litter prevention educational purposes.

Interesting Facts and Statistics:

  • In Fiscal Year 2011-2012, approximately 23,315,014 pounds of roadside litter were collected through the program; approximately 8,925,532 of those pounds were recycled.
  • Litter was picked up on approximately 428,441 miles of county, state route and interstate roadsides
  • Approximately 127,510 Inmates, Community Services, County Employees picked up litter during 2011-2012.