Volunteer groups and other participants removed more than 4.2 million pounds of litter from North Carolina roadsides during the N.C. Department of Transportationís 2010 fall and spring Litter Sweeps.
Thatís the equivalent of 1.9 billion cigarettes, 134 million soda cans or 42,000 couches.
Participants filled more than 288,000 bags with roadside litter, and nearly 40 percent of those were filled by volunteers.
Totals included:
134,800 bags filled by Adopt-A-Highway groups and volunteers from garden clubs, civic groups and community organizations;
102,400 bags filled by N.C. Department of Corrections inmate crews and Community Service Work Program participants; and
50,900 bags filled by NCDOT crews.
The N.C. State Highway Patrol also participated during both Litter Sweeps by citing motorists for littering and failing to secure their loads. Troopers issued more than 240 citations during the last two weeks of April and September 2010.
NCDOT encourages North Carolina residents to get involved in the Litter Sweeps, which are biannual roadside cleanups generally held the last two weeks of April and September.
The 2011 Litter Sweeps are scheduled for April 16 through April 30, and Sept. 17 through Oct. 1.
For more information about Litter Sweeps and litter prevention, visit the NCDOT Office of Beautification Programs website at www.ncdot.gov/~beautification.