ST LOUIS - Take a few hours to make Missouri beautiful this spring during the annual No MOre Trash! Bash. Join Missouri Department of Transportation, Adopt-A-Highway Litter Removal Service of America Incorporated, St. Louis County, elected officials and volunteers to work toward a litter-free state. These partners will pick up litter Monday, March 30 at a kickoff event as part of the month-long, 2009 No MOre Trash! Bash. The initiative is sponsored by the Missouri departments of Transportation and Conservation to clean up Missouri. 

Who: Ed Hassinger, MoDOT's District Engineer for the St. Louis region will be the Master of Ceremonies. Other officials and representatives who will speak at the news conference include: Charlie Dooley, St. Louis County Executive; Garry Earls, St. Louis County Government Chief Operating Officer; Mayor James Murphy, City of Normandy; Lillie Dumas, President of North County Incorporated Board of Directors; Mary Lou Green, Executive Director of Operation Brightside; Stacy Armstrong, MoDOT Roadside Management Supervisor.

What: MoDOT, Adopt-A-Highway Litter Removal Service of America Incorporated, St. Louis County, local elected officials will address the media and the public in front of a giant trash mound at a news conference Monday, March 30 at 10 a.m., to enforce the importance of no littering and to keep Missouri clean as a litter-free state. These significant partners will pick up trash along a stretch of Interstate 70 at Bermuda Avenue to kick off the No More Trash! Bash following the news conference.

Where:  The news conference begins promptly at 10 a.m. with the media and the public invited to attend. The event will be held at MoDOT's Normandy Maintenance Building located at 1005 Bermuda Avenue in St. Louis.

Why:  The goal of the annual No MOre Trash! Bash is to spread awareness of Missouri's litter problem and work toward a litter-free state. MoDOT wants to do more than just pick up trash by getting Missouri residents and tourists to stop littering, realize it is unhealthy and understand that it is against the law! It's easy to help during the annual Bash by either scheduling your own pickup or attending local or state cleanup events.  

Background: Last year, thousands of volunteers across Missouri collected more than 84,000 bags of trash from Missouri's streams and roadways to help make the Bash a success. We need your help this year to help make Missouri more beautiful and keep it that way. Keeping litter off the roadways and out of the water is an important step in beautifying Missouri for another beautiful spring and summer.

"We want people to realize littering isn't good for anyone," said Stacy Armstrong, Missouri Department of Transportation roadside management supervisor. "It costs Missouri millions of dollars each year, which is money that could be spent improving Missouri roads."

Each year MoDOT spends more than $5 million to clear litter along highways throughout the state. The more than 3,900 Adopt-A-Highway volunteers and 3,500 Stream Team volunteers spend countless hours during the year to help keep Missouri beautiful, but litter still accumulates in streams and along roads.

"This April and beyond, be ever mindful of where you put your trash and think about the consequences of your actions," Armstrong said. "Do your part and help Missourians save millions in tax dollars."

For more information about the Bash and how you can do your part, visit www.nomoretrash.org.
                                                                           
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