Louisiana's No. 1 litter brand? Budweiser
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Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios
You can tell a lot about a place by its trash, and recent survey data examining the state of Louisiana's litter says we're really into Budweiser, Busch and Miller Lite.
Driving the news: Keep Louisiana Beautiful released initial findings of a survey, revealing not only the top three brands of the state's litter, but additional data that could help shape litter abatement programs.
- The three beer brands hold the No. 1, 2 and 3 spots, respectively.
By the numbers: The survey revealed that Louisiana roadways are clogged with about 143.8 million pieces of litter.
- Louisiana litter also showed higher percentages of pieces of Styrofoam ice chests and plastic bags for ice, likely a result of the state's penchant for outdoor recreation, Keep Louisiana Beautiful executive director Susan Russell tells Axios.
- Tobacco products, like cigarette butts, lighters and packaging, made up 24.5% of litter, followed by beverage containers at 13.7% and construction debris at 10.8%.
- By material, plastic is Louisiana's No. 1 source of litter at 43%.
How they did it: Looking for ways to tackle the state's litter problem, Keep Louisiana Beautiful hired a consultant-led team to conduct the survey.
- The team collected and reviewed litter at 137 sites across every parish.
- Ultimately, the team surveyed 616,500 square feet of public roadways between December and January.
What's next: The full survey results, which will include current cleaning costs, public attitudes about litter and a review of what other states are doing to combat litter, will be released this summer.