For more than 20 years, MoDOT has been encouraging people to stop littering by educating them about the negative impacts of litter. Each year, MoDOT spends more than $12 million to remove litter from more than 385,000 acres of roadsides along 34,000 state highway miles. 

Litter poses health risks and creates roadway and waterway safety hazards. It negatively affects property values, housing prices, landscape appearance and overall quality of life. Litter’s environmental consequences harm water quality and plant health, degrade natural areas and hurt wildlife. 

Littering is illegal in Missouri and can result in a fine of up to $1,000 and/or a year in jail. State of Missouri law also requires loads to be covered with penalties for goods or materials that become loose and fall from the vehicle or trailer while being transported.