Press release from Snohomish County Public Works:
Snohomish County is home to more than 840,000 residents who enjoy its mountain vistas, green trees, and clean flowing water in rivers and streams. A group of seasonal county workers have begun the Litter Wranglers’ eighth year ensuring that what people see from their vehicles along county roads is not spoiled by garbage and other things carelessly discarded by passersby.
“The Litter Wranglers are essential to the overall health and wellbeing of our county,” Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said. “These teams have contributed to a high quality of life enjoyed by all who live, work and play in Snohomish County. They are instrumental in maintaining the county’s natural resources.”
The Litter Wranglers crew is comprised of six seasonal county employees. During the course of the program’s seven seasons the crews have collected more than 28,000 bags of trash from county roadways and right of ways.
“The solid waste employees in the Litter Wrangler program work very hard to keep our county looking great,” Snohomish County Public Works Director Kelly Snyder said. “I am proud of the work they do and am impressed every year by what this program accomplishes, with help from the public.”
A partnership between the Litter Wranglers and residents helps to guide the program. Calls and emails from the public reporting litter sites from around the county are passed to the team. The information is then compiled, and sites are grouped together to collect the bagged litter as efficiently as possible. The system maximizes the crew’s work on the road to get the most out of their time.
Snohomish County residents can participate in the program by continuing to report areas along county roads with excessive litter.
Report a litter location by:
- Emailing: [email protected]
- Calling: 425-388-7500
The program is also used to get work sites clean before Public Works’ maintenance crews arrive for projects. This allows crews to stay focused on road maintenance tasks and be more efficient which saves taxpayer funds.
Litter Wranglers workers are trained on how to safely deal with litter while working along the side of the road next to traffic. Residents may see the Litter Wranglers between 6:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday throughout the county. Motorists should be aware and cautious while driving through construction and road maintenance zones to keep all roadside workers safe.
Residents can also participate in picking up litter by joining the county’s Adopt-A-Road program, which is a partnership between volunteers and Snohomish County Public Works to keep roadsides free of litter. To sign-up for the program, call the program coordinator at 425-388-3137.
And of course, the best way to stop litter is to make sure to put trash in a garbage can before it becomes a problem.
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