Don't Mess with Texas Trash and Treasure Hunt Visits 25 Cities
- 04.01.06
Lucky Texans Could Win Southwest Airlines Tickets, Other Prizes by Volunteering at Don't Mess with Texas “Trash and Treasure Hunt”
(AUSTIN, Texas)—Texans have an added incentive to volunteer for Don't Mess with Texas 20th Anniversary cleanup events to be held around the state this spring and summer-a chance to win round-trip tickets from Southwest Airlines.
“There have been many 'firsts' in the history of the Don't Mess with Texas campaign, but I can say with certainty cleaning up Texas has never been so exciting,” said Doris Howdeshell, Travel Division director for the Texas Department of Transportation. “This year, we want to offer Texans something truly unique and exciting to celebrate the 20th Anniversary. Southwest Airlines stepped up to the litter prevention plate in a big way by offering a valuable incentive for Texans to get involved in the Don't Mess with Texas campaign.”
The Texas Department of Transportation is teaming up with Keep Texas Beautiful to present the Don't Mess with Texas “Trash and Treasure Hunt,” taking place in 25 locations around the state and continuing through August.
Trash or Treasure
At the cleanups, volunteers will pick up litter in a designated area of their community. As they pick up trash, some will find specially marked pieces of litter. For each piece of marked litter collected, volunteers will receive an entry into a random drawing. At the end of the cleanup, a drawing will be held that will allow some participants to win Southwest Airlines tickets or gift certificates for Starbucks and Blue Bell Ice Cream.
“Although we fly all over the U.S., we're a Texas-based company, and we've always supported a litter-free Texas,” said Linda Rutherford, Southwest's Vice President of Public Relations and Community Affairs. “Offering the chance to win plane tickets is one way we can reward volunteers at the cleanup events and show our Texas-size support of the 20th Anniversary.”
There's no limit to the number of marked pieces of litter someone can collect in exchange for an entry into the prize drawings, so volunteers who collect more trash have a better chance of winning.
Cleaner Texas Roadways
Adopt-a-Highway volunteers who have participated at past cleanup events may notice roadways appear cleaner this year. The latest Visible Litter Study, an analysis of litter and accumulation on Texas rights-of-way, reveals total annual litter accumulation fell below 1 billion pieces in 2005 to 827 million pieces.
This is compared with 1.25 billion pieces on Texas roadsides in 2001, resulting in a 33 percent drop in litter. However, volunteers will find there's plenty of work to do-half of all Texans still admit to littering and the most frequently littered items are tobacco, food and nonalcoholic beverage cups and cans.
Cool Prizes for Volunteers
At the events, Don't Mess with Texas staff members will also hand out commemorative 20th Anniversary merchandise including T-shirts, koozies and cups to volunteers who correctly answer litter-related trivia questions and participate in games. The first 50 people to sign in will receive a gift card courtesy of Coca-Cola or McDonald's.
Official Don't Mess with Texas “Trash and Treasure Hunt” Schedule
The public is encouraged to visit www.DontMessWithTexas20.org for complete details. Dates are subject to change.
April 29–Colleyville
May 6–Houston
May 7–Orange
May 13–Victoria
May 20–Brownsville
May 21–Beeville
May 27–Callisburg
June 3–Midland/Odessa
June 4–Abilene
June 10–San Angelo
June 11–Waco
June 17–Austin
June 24–El Paso
July 8–Pampa
July 9–Childress
July 15–Longview
July 16–Tyler
July 22–Laredo
July 29–Frisco
July 30–Sherman
August 5–San Antonio
August 12–Lubbock
August 13–Brownwood
August 19–Cameron
TBD Lufkin
Don't Mess with Texas 20th Anniversary
2006 is the 20th Anniversary of the Don't Mess with Texas campaign. Advertising, outreach and special promotions, like the “Trash and Treasure Hunt,” are spreading the litter prevention message throughout the year.
Southwest Airlines, La Quinta, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Blue Bell Ice Cream and the Texas Department of Transportation are proud sponsors of the Don't Mess with Texas “Trash and Treasure Hunt.”
