The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) is rolling out a new anti-litter initiative designed to grab the attention of travelers across the state. Beginning the week of December 8, ARDOT will install innovative anti-litter displays at two Arkansas highway locations, with plans to rotate them statewide throughout the next month.
The displays feature a series of blue highway signs carrying messages aimed at raising awareness of the financial and environmental cost of roadway litter. The signs read:
• “ARDOT spends over $8 million per year combatting litter.”
• “Are you part of the problem or the solution?”
• “Please help us keep Arkansas natural.”
The sequence ends with a striking installation—five-foot-tall hollow wire letters spelling “NATURAL?” These letters will gradually fill with litter collected by ARDOT crews in each display area, offering a visual reminder of how quickly trash accumulates along Arkansas highways.
“The average taxpayer may not know how much ARDOT spends each year picking up litter from our highways. Our goal is to raise awareness for all Arkansans and travelers in our state,” said Steve Frisbee, ARDOT Assistant Chief Engineer for Maintenance.
ARDOT Director Jared Wiley emphasized the agency’s commitment to preserving Arkansas’s beauty. “Arkansas is ‘The Natural State,’ and we have a unique responsibility to help preserve the beauty that surrounds our infrastructure. In addition to the money we spend on litter pickup each year, we are always exploring new ways to combat the litter problem. We hope these litter letters resonate with the traveling public and spur positive change.”
The signs and litter-letter installations were fabricated in-house by ARDOT employees.
The first displays will appear at Interstate 555 (Exit 42) in Jonesboro and Interstate 49 (Exit 91) in Bentonville, with additional locations to follow in the coming weeks.
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