Don’t Mess With Texas® Celebrates 30Th Anniversary With Trash & Treasure Hunt

APRIL 09, 2016

CLEANUP PARTICIPANTS CAN WIN PRIZES FOR HELPING KEEP STATE LITTER-FREE

[Tyler] – To celebrate its 30th anniversary, the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) Don’t mess with Texas campaign will host a Trash & Treasure Hunt cleanup event on April 9 at 9:00 a.m. Special prizes will be awarded to cleanup participants who find “treasure” marked with a Don’t mess with Texas bumper sticker among the trash they pick up.

The Trash & Treasure Hunt will take place at Southside Park and Rose Rudman Trail. More information may be found at DontMessWithTexas.org. This is just one of 25 such events being held across the state to help keep the Texas environment clean and promote awareness of the iconic campaign through community engagement. Texas-based YETI is supporting Don’t mess with Texas’ 30th anniversary as a statewide grand prize sponsor. Trash & Treasure Hunt participants can win a gift set with a YETI Hopper 20 Cooler, a Don’t mess with Texas-branded Rambler Tumbler and more!

“These Trash & Treasure Hunt events are a fun way for people to do their part to help keep our state free of litter,” said Texas Transportation Commissioner Jeff Austin III. “They are also a great way for families to do something together that also benefits our state and for parents to teach their children about the importance of taking care of the environment.”

To celebrate the campaign’s third decade, Boy Scouts in Texas can earn a commemorative 30th anniversary “Don’t mess with Texas” patch for achieving a litter cleanup requirement during Saturday’s Trash & Treasure Hunt.

AM Racing, in partnership with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Austin Wayne Self, has donated tickets to NASCAR events at Texas Motor Speedway and Central Texas Speedway in Kyle. Cleanup volunteers across the state will also have a chance to win free admission passes to the Bullock Texas State History Museum and a gift package from McDonald’s.

In Texas each year, nearly half a billion pieces of visible litter still pile up along state-maintained highways. Seventy percent of this litter is small trash like napkins, cigarette butts and fast food wrappers. In 2015, litter cleanup efforts cost $32 million. Violators can face fines starting at $500.

Since 1986, TxDOT’s Don’t mess with Texas campaign has educated and inspired Texans to keep the state’s roadways clean and preserve the beauty of its environment. Embraced by Texans as an expression of state pride, the Don’t mess with Texas campaign brings communities together to work toward a litter-free Texas. For more information, contact TxDOT Media Relations at [email protected] or (512) 463-8700.

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The Texas Department of Transportation is responsible for maintaining 80,000 miles of road and for supporting aviation, rail, and public transportation across the state. Through collaboration and leadership, we deliver a safe, reliable, and integrated transportation system that enables the movement of people and goods. Find out more at txdot.gov. “Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.