With wildfire season in full burn, it’s important to snuff out fire hazards before they erupt in catastrophe, and Star readers want to help.
Several have called the newsroom in recent days to inquire how they can report motorists who toss cigarette butts out of car windows.
If you would like to report someone doing the misdeed, contact Keep Arizona Beautiful online at kazb.org and click on the “Litter hotline” button or call 1-877-3-LITTER. The line is open 24 hours a day.
People can report the littering of cigarette butts, fastfood containers, construction debris and other items. People should provide the location of the incident, as well as a description of the vehicle and license-plate number.
“We’re getting at least four to five more calls per day, specifically about people throwing cigarettes out the window,” said Melissa Farley of Keep Arizona Beautiful. “People say ‘We don’t want to see this happening because we know that’s how fires can start.’ That’s why they’re calling about cigarette butts specifically.”
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Keep Arizona Beautiful is the contract administrator for the Arizona Department of Transportation’s litter reporting program, and ADOT takes information gleaned from the program and works with the Motor Vehicle Division to identify the litterbugs.
Although the offending motorist will not be subject to fines because police did not cite them, the state sends them a letter that educates them about the hazards of polluting roads.
Reach reporter Phil Villarreal at 573-4130 or pvillarreal@azstarnet.com
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