BACKGROUND: Oregon has the most littered roads of any state in the US. The scale of the problem far exceeds that of other states and is a disgrace in a state once known for its natural beauty. Littering in Oregon is no longer the isolated action of a few slobs. It is now common to see motorists in OR throwing cups and trash from their vehicles. Even more shocking are scores of urine-filled plastic jugs that are strewn on Oregon's roads by motorists with no regard for their surroundings (hundreds of these jugs seen along I-5 between Portland and Salem according to one newspaper report). This "culture of littering" will continue to grow until state leaders acknowledge the problem instead of simply trying to perpetuate the state's now inaccurate reputation of being a pristine, environmentally progressive state. The first step in this problem will be taken when the Governor stops referring to Oregon as "Clean and Green" and begins to acknowledge the truth on the ground.
NEEDED ACTION:
To combat the litter problem Oregon's public officials must do the following:
1. Politicians -
(a)change the offense of littering from a criminal misdemeanor to a civil offense so police can site and fine violators without court proceedings (currently, police largely ignore the offense because of the high burden of proof need to obtain a conviction)
(b)Elected officials should also expand the bottle bill to include plastic bottles and disposable beverage cups and raise the amount of the deposit.
(c) State legislature should also mandate that counties require rural residents to sign-up for trash collection - allowing people to dispose of their garbage on their own is no longer a viable option because for a growing number of residents it simply means leaving it in bags along the road or in the woods.
2. Police - aggressively enforce the laws on the books against littering and poorly secured loads on pick-ups and flatbead trucks.
3. Public Employees (ODOT) - take ownership of litter pick-up along Oregon's roads rather than continue to shift responsiblity to volunteers through the Adopt A Road program. Sanitation and Security are government responsibilities; own it and do it.
None of this will happen until the true condition of Oregon's roadsides is made widely known and the pols, police and public employees feel pressure to do something. That pressure will result from three things that will happen as this website gets passed around:
1. embarrassment when the rest of the US finds out how bad things have gotten in a state which everyone thought was well-cared for.
2. fiscal pain as tourism and convention business decline as people realize what a dump Oregon has become and then take their business elsewhere.
3. political consequences as taxpayers inside Oregon demand accountability
Instead of criticizing some will say we should be "getting involved" or volunteering to help with the problem. That is no longer enough. I personally have been doing Adopt a Road for 4 years, and good meaning organizations like SOLV (which I used to belong to) have been doing it for over 20. Despite these efforts Oregon's roads are worse than ever while the problem in many states has been brought under control. The only answer now is aggressive government action and that will only happen once Oregon's pols, police and public employees are shamed into taking it. This is not an issue of money, it is an issue of will.
By forwarding this website to travel, tourism and convention organizations around the state and country you will help me bring pressure on the people in Oregon's government who can solve this problem. Please pass this on.
Opinions, photos, facts and assertions on this site are soley the responsibility of P Thimm, an Oregon resident, taxpayer and property owner.