The City of Long Beach has launched a citywide Litter Abatement and Awareness Campaign that is multi-faceted, multi-lingual, adaptable and long-term. “Long Beach: We like it litter-free” includes newspaper advertising, bus shelter posters, school-based outreach, and this web site.

What do you think?

What are your ideas for public education and outreach?

The target audience for the proposed general awareness campaign is based on research done by the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works as to who the County’s polluters are with regards to urban runoff:

Neat Neighbors

Approximately 50% of Los Angeles County polluters are categorized as Neat Neighbors

• 4.5 million adults
• Middle to high income, home-owning, family-oriented professionals
• Avid recyclers, who want to keep their neighborhoods neat and clean
  — Hose off their driveways into the storm drains more than
      200,000 times a month
  — Drop their cigarette butts on the ground nearly 375,000 times
      per month

Fix it Foul Ups

Approximately 13% of Los Angeles County polluters are categorized as Fix it Foul Ups

• 1.2 million adults
• Devoted do-it-yourselfers, responsible for a large amount of pollution mainly related to working on their cars, homes and gardens
  — Fail to recycle used motor oil and other car fluids more than
      124,000 times a month
  — Spray yards with pesticides that wash into the storm drains
      nearly 100,000 times a month
  — Hose down their driveways into the street more 85,000
      times a month

Rubbish Rebels

Approximately nine percent of Los Angeles County polluters are categorized as Rubbish Rebels

• 405,000 adults
• Predominately single males in their teens and twenties
• This small group accounts for a disproportionately large amount of pollution, mainly due to blatant polluting behaviors
  — Dump their ashtrays in the street more than 20,000 times per     month accounting for 42 percent of all ashtrays dumped in
      the streets
  — Throw litter from their cars nearly 575,000 times per month
  — Drop trash directly into the storm drains more than 125,000
      times per month