Education
The Key to cleaner, greener, Tennessee
The Importance of Education
Every initiative of Keep Tennessee Beautiful is rooted in a desire to educate. Educating the public is the key to the behavior change needed to end littering and improve recycling. Over 70% of interstate litter in Tennessee is the result of unintentional littering, proving that many people in need of behavior change aren’t even aware. Keep Tennessee works statewide to educate and raise awareness about litter and the importance of preventing it.
Litter costs the state of Tennessee over $23 million annually, making it a significant fiscal burden on the state. Additionally, roadside can litter present serious safety hazards to motorists.
Programs & Initiatives
Keep Tennessee Beautiful has a variety of programs and initiatives targeting various groups of the public to educate them on the importance of litter prevention and inspire them to make positive change.
Litter Law Education
While our goal is behavior change through education and awareness, it is still vital that the laws against littering are enforced. The presence of litter and illegal dump sites can negatively impact property values, natural habitats, and even the rates of other crimes. The Broken Windows Theory, when applied to littering, suggests that blighted and littered areas will likely spread and have higher potential for other crimes to take place.
Keep Tennessee Beautiful offers a course on the litter law in Tennessee and the best practices for enforcement. The course is POST certified for law enforcement training hours. Contact us to set up a training.