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Notes on the Litter Hotline ...

posted May 10, 2013, 9:23 AM by Robert Phelps   [ updated Feb 17, 2014, 12:49 PM ]
At each one of my visits around the state, the same question about enforcement pops up, especially when the question is asked about the No. 1 source of litter – cigarette butts. The question becomes how can we stop people from discarding them out their car window.
 
Arkansas does have laws that are meant to stop littering. But how often have you observed someone throwing a cigarette butt out the window or emptying the ashtray out in a parking lot?  We all want to know what we can do to stop this illegal activity. In Arkansas, we have an answer: the Litter Hotline.
 
The Litter Hotline is a toll-free number that a driver who witnesses someone littering from a vehicle can call to anonymously report that vehicle. The report goes to the Arkansas Highway Police, which then issues that individual a letter stating they have been observed littering.

The process is rather simple. Give the Arkansas Highway Police operator on the other end of the phone a description of the vehicle and the license number. They then find out to whom that vehicle is registered and they send them, on Arkansas Highway Police stationery, a letter informing them that they have been observed littering.

How would you feel if you received one of these letters? Answer is simple: Don’t Litter.

REMINDER: “Like” your favorite poster in the Great American Cleanup in Arkansas Youth Poster Contest. The poster with the most “likes” will win the People’s Choice award. Give your thumbs up on Facebook. Voting ends today.
 
And, next week, all winning posters from the contest will be on display at the Thea Foundation’s Gallery, located at 401 Main St. in North Little Rock, next week.