Stash that trash!

OPP NEWS RELEASE

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Ministry of Transportation and Ontario Provincial Police launch 10th anniversary of the Stash Your Trash program anti-litter campaign

Thanks to the motoring public this program continues to be successful!

SAULT STE. MARIE - The Ministry of Transportation in co-operation with the Ontario Provincial Police is once again providing sites for disposal of in-vehicle litter. 

The program is starting May 15, 2013 and will continue to run until Thanksgiving weekend.

The Stash Your Trash program is located between Wawa and Sault Ste Marie. 

There are 15 signed sites with special containers for disposal of your in-vehicle litter.

The program has been strongly supported by the public. 

Since its inception over 16,000 bags of trash have been collected. 

This number has been increasing each year.

The Canadian Carver at Pancake Bay and Tim Horton’s of Wawa continue to assist with the program along with recent addition of Transfield Services. 

These sponsors are assisting in the production of the in-vehicle litter bag in partnership with the Ministry of Transportation.

Bags may be picked up at the OPP Detachment in Sault Ste. Marie, the Sault Ste. Marie MTO Area office in the Roberta Bondar Building, Pancake Bay and Agawa Bay Provincial Parks, the Canadian Carver, and the visitors centre in Wawa.

Road users between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa will again have highly visible and easily accessible disposal sites beside the highway. 

The sites are not meant for the disposal of household waste. 

Misuse of the sites in the past has resulted in strewn trash from bags ripped open by animals and in extreme cases human encounters with bears. 

Sites have been closed in the past due to misuse and are subject to permanent closure where misuse is excessive.

Some tips for items that are not appropriate for the sites include:

• Building materials
• Tires
• Furniture
• Propane tanks
• Household garbage

Items that are meant for the program include:

• Fast food containers
• Coffee cups
• Snack containers

The Ministry of Transportation and the O.P.P. will work together to identify offenders who are caught littering on the Highway. 

Littering under the Highway Traffic Act of Ontario carries a fine of $110.

Everyone can help by calling the OPP if you see road users littering. 

The toll free number to call the OPP is 1-888-310-1122. 

You can also contact the OPP free of charge on a cell phone by pressing *OPP (*667).

The point of contact for the program is Lance Knox, Head, Operational Services MTO and can be reached at 705-945-6620.

The M.T.O and the O.P.P thank all road users who have taken ownership and responsibility of the environment and their trash.
 
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