BATON ROUGE - Throwing a used cup, burger wrapper, or napkin on the ground might seem like a harmless act with little to no significance on one's community.

But such seemingly 'harmless acts' of littering have compounded to create a multi-million dollar problem for the state. 

Keep Louisiana Beautiful, a non-profit organization in Mandeville, estimates that official efforts to clean discarded cigarette butts, bottles, bags, cans, and other types of litter from Louisiana's streets cost the state an estimated $40 million in taxpayer dollars annually.

As millions of dollars are spent attending to unnecessary waste, state leaders are scrambling to find enough money to cover the ever-increasing costs of Louisiana's developmental, educational, natural disaster, and pandemic-related needs. 

The Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) is addressing the problem by partnering with Keep Louisiana Beautiful to pick up trash along state roads by way of volunteer clean-up efforts.

DOTD is also encouraging every Louisiana resident to help save state money and improve local quality of life by making the choice to refrain from one seemingly harmless act - to make the decision to avoid littering. 

DOTD Director, Shawn Wilson spoke to WBRZ about the issue, saying, "If folks care about roads and want to have better roads in Louisiana, a little less litter will allow us to spend less on litter and more on preservation."

The Department is using an eye-catching visual to encourage citizens to refrain from littering. DOTD officials have set up large trash bins that spell its acronym 'DOTD' in various locations throughout the state.

The visual is meant to remind locals to dispose of trash by tossing it into garbage bins, instead of on the ground. 

"If we could prevent that from happening," Wilson said in reference to littering, "that's more money we can spend in other areas."

So, it might seem 'easy' to throw a used cup in the grass instead of holding on to it for a few more minutes and then tossing it into a proper garbage receptacle. 

But by waiting and throwing trash where it belongs, a person adds to the beauty of their community and plays a role in channeling state funds to vital programs that will benefit them and their neighbors. 

Click here for information on how to assist in Keep Louisiana Beautiful's volunteer efforts.