My eyes were opened again by a conversation I had with the Delaware Department of Transportation regarding the amount of littering that is occurring in Delaware. Since July 2022, DelDOT has picked up 55,000 bags of littered trash, 4,550 dumped tires and 52 dumped appliances from Delaware highways. I think this is not only a shame, but also a disgrace. The people who live in and visit Delaware have to do better. I have to believe that it is not the norm to approve of and accept littering. We need to work together to better educate our state starting in the schools, to include community outreach and to increase the fines for the folks littering. Also, we can use the state message boards that are up and down our highways to ask locals and visitors to help with this problem.
I ask for the agencies that mow the medians on Route 1 to pick up the trash before they mow over it. I have been told they do pick up the trash in New Castle and Kent counties prior to mowing Route 1, but that has not been the case on Route 1 from Route 16 to Five Points in Sussex County. I have been told the state has money for litter crews to pick up the trash; we need their help across all Delaware counties. I noticed a litter crew in New Castle County May 18, picking up trash in the median on Route 1. The trucks had FS on them. Maybe these folks or this company can be hired in Sussex County to help us with picking up the trash.
I just ask for all of us to work together to address and resolve the trash dumping and littering issue in Delaware. We can do this together. Thank you.
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