Enhancing ADOT Communications to Reduce Highway Litter in Arizona

Details

• Creators:
  Washburn, Lauren C. ; O’Callaghan, Nicholas ; Aphale, Omkar ; Muth, Carl
• Corporate Creators:
  MSW Consultants, LLC
• Corporate Contributors:
  Arizona. Department of Transportation ; United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  , Litter Hotspots Abatement Adopt-a-highway Programs Anti-litter Campaign Arizona Department Of Transportation (ADOT) Beverage Packaging Beverages Case Studies Cigarette Butts Debris Removal Education And Training Highway Litter Keep America Beautiful (KAB) Law Enforcement Litter Litter Characterization Litter Composition Litter Incidence Maricopa Association Of Governments (MAG) Outreach Packaging Prevention State Highways Tire Treads Vehicle Debris

  More +
• Publication/ Report Number:
  SPR-781
• Resource Type:
  Tech Report
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States ; Arizona
• Edition:
  Final Report
• Corporate Publisher:
  Arizona. Department of Transportation
• Abstract:
  This report summarizes a statewide study commissioned by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) to inform and enhance anti-litter communications and operational litter remediation practices as they pertain to the Arizona state highway system. The project team conducted communications research, developed a highway visible litter characterization plan and tool, completed two seasonal field surveys (May and November 2023) at 60 randomized sites, analyzed litter composition and sources, identified litter hotspots, evaluated ADOT’s Adopt a Highway program impacts on litter and litter abatement costs, and estimated ADOT’s litter-related costs for FY2021–FY2024. Key findings include: an estimated 364.4 million pieces of litter on the SHS (38,452 pieces/mile on average), with small litter comprising 82.8% of items; tire tread dominated the inventory (173.5 million pieces; 47.6%), vehicle debris was the largest source (54%), motorists accounted for 33% of litter, and five interstate hotspots were identified. AAH volunteers contributed approximately 334,000 hours with an estimated four-year labor value of $2.5M and SHS sites that had approximately 50% less large litter than non-AAH sites. ADOT’s litter abatement costs averaged $8.8–$9.5M in FY2021–FY2024. The report provides targeted recommendations for litter communications, district-level litter collection operations, financial management, and procurement. Recommendations include data tracking, contract evaluation, staff engagement, targeted operational practices, and general and targeted anti-litter communication strategies all in an effort to reduce litter, improve cost tracking, and guide future litter program and communication development and evaluation.
• Format:
  PDF
• Funding:
  CTR06152
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b27a606ba0fc3e6bbef132d147b07afeb92084c3db2940ea87c8b4643bb1a1cf03c5eb30ba0dd7dd22d241e6c2b154aa91606a63ca372edee6ec11021f6c53b7
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/88802/dot_88802_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 10.04 MB ]