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Addressing Roadside Litter

Goal: Reduce litter in coastal ecosystems
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Background

 

  • The photos above were all taken during the summer of 2019 along a 1-mile stretch of road in Fairfield County directly adjacent to terrapin habitat

    • These photos represent a small portion of the litter present along this road

    • Large quantities of litter remain as of July 2020

  • Wind and rain move this litter into the adjacent saltmarsh and wildlife refuge over time​

    • Substantial amounts of litter are visible in the adjacent saltmarsh​

  • The litter needs to be removed and a long term solution is needed to prevent litter from accumulating here

    • Currently, no signage is posted to discourage littering​

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Objectives

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  • Complete at least 15 hours of litter removal between July and November 2020

    • If there is a need and time allows, litter will also be removed from terrapin road mortality surveys planned for other locations​

    • Data will be collected that describe the types and quantities of litter present here

  • A brief report will be generated that details the extent of the issue and proposes possible solutions

    • This report will be shared with CT DEEP, CT DOT, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the town conservation commission, and other organizations that may have interest in working toward a solution​

    • A summarized version of the report will be made available on this website

    • The report will be completed by spring 2021

Results and Progress

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  • We completed 8 litter cleanups in 2020, totaling over 9 hours of cleanup time

    • This was less than we had planned due to limited funds​

  • This litter was also processed and categorized

    • A report will be generated once enough funding has accumulated​

  • In 2021, we partnered with Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy, and removed a full pickup truck-load of litter from roadside terrapin nesting habitat adjacent to a salt marsh

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