Our county increased fines for littering recently, but it has done nothing to stop littering because they’re not catching anyone. In fact, littering may have even increased recently. I don’t know why, but there is a segment of the population that will just throw soda bottles, beer cans, water bottles, fast food trash, just out the window.

Have any of you figured out a way to catch people littering? I believe that if we had a good way, we could catch the few people who are causing this large problem

It started in March 2024 with this solo pick post to my community’s subreddit: r/charlottesville. Multiple Redditors wanted to help out so we started a Reddit group chat. Then we eventually launched our Cville Litter Pickers Meetup Page. I bought 5 litter picking kits and ended up getting another 4 kits loaned from a local non-profit. I think having all the equipment needed helped a lot for volunteers to help out. All they had to do was show up.

In 2024 we had 26 different volunteers that collected 267 bags total!

We also made it on the local news.

Another 2024 accomplishment was that we were able to get the County and State DOT to work together to use the County’s street sweeper on State Highways. Details Here

During my time picking litter this last year, I had three major observations: 

1. There is always more trash than what you can see from the road. 
2. Litter is being generated faster than its being cleaned up. 
3. Non-biodegradable litter never goes away. It only gets smaller and harder to pickup.

I do think that more preventative measures would help a lot. And the problem isn’t as simple as we have litter bugs. I think there is a more complex behavioral and social-economic situation happening.

Here is my high level assessment of the litter we picked up: 

1. Alcohol cans, bottles, and packaging being thrown out cars or dumped at drinking spots. I’d say 1/3rd of our litter picked was this.  I can also tell you what litterers like to drink: Twisted Tea, Bud Light, Coors, Modelo, Johny Bootlegger, Malt Liquor, and Mini Liquor Bottles are the most popular. 
2. Fast food packaging (cups, bags, boxes) being thrown out cars.  This is probably another 1/3rd of the litter we picked up. I can tell you that litterers like Chick-fil-A and gas station fountain drinks. 
3. Debris falling off of trucks. A particular busy highway in the community has a big problem with this. 
4. Litter from vaping and cigarette butts. We do our best to pickup the vaping litter but many times the cigarette butts are too numerous to clean. I do think the street sweeper is very helpful against the cigarette butts. 
5. Litter from unhomed which includes abandoned clothes and misc materials, alcohol and fast food litter.  Unfortunately we’ve come across used needles (qty 11 for 2024).

I’d like to do more preventive activities. Here are ideas that I think are achievable after speaking with local government and other similar organizations. I’d love your honest thoughts.

1. Signs in alcohol sections of grocery stores, liquor stores, and fast food drive throughs sending the message of: “If you don’t want to be pulled over by the cops, then don’t throw your trash out your car window.” Our County has extra funds from a plastic bag tax and they’re looking for ideas on how to spend it. Maybe this would be a good one.
2. Better enforcement and strengthening of ordnances for business parking lots to be cleaned by the businesses. (I’m shocked at how bad some of the big box stores let their parking lots get. Walmart is one of the worst and the trash blows over onto the highway.)
3. Better enforcement of ensuring mowing contractors litter pick before mowing. The hardest thing ever is picking up 100s of pieces of one plastic cup.
4. Further efforts to help our unhomed to become homed.

I was a little disappointed that a bottle and can tax was tried and failed in my community. It failed because Virginia is a Dillion Rule State where the local government needs approval for things such as a bottle/can tax and the State government to date hasn’t been willing to allow it.

Another item that I’d like to see a solution to is more public trash bins. The concern I’ve heard from local government is that putting out more bins require more government staff to empty them and that people abuse them by putting trash in them that would normally go in their home trash. I understand it, but I’d like to see if we can find a solution. I do think some people (not all people) will be more likely to properly dispose of their trash if it’s convenient.

For 2025, the Cville Litter Pickers have a goal of 400 bags to be collected! We’ll be focusing on roads, parks, parking lots, and schools.

We’re looking for local businesses or organizations that wouldn’t mind if we disposed our bags in their dumpsters. Unfortunately I wore out our welcome at our main dumpster in 2024 (250+ bags will do that). After that we had a bad experience cleaning up a business parking lot then tossing the bags in their dumpster, then they promptly chewed our butts accusing us of illegal dumping. I’m working with the City and County to get a bag pickup/ or volunteer dumpsters setup for us. But it takes time and it would be great if I could get multiple local businesses would be willing to be backups if we need them.

Let me know if you have any suggestions or thoughts. I’d be happy to answer anyone’s questions. Thanks!

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