In the ongoing effort to “Keep DE Litter Free” the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) continues to dedicate resources to cleaning up our roads. To date in 2021, nearly 16,000 bags of trash have been collected, and last year, cleanup efforts resulted in the collection of over 51,000 bags of trash.

Litter cleanup across the state is performed by DelDOT Maintenance & Operations employees, Adopt-A-Highway/Sponsor-A-Highway efforts, the Work A Day Earn A Pay Program and with help from the Delaware Department of the Corrections’ (DOC) inmate work program.

In addition, more than 6,800 tires, 3,500 signs and 250 appliances were removed from alongside Delaware roads.

Governor John Carney, who has championed the “Keep DE Litter Free” initiative commented, “The amount of litter on our roads continues to be eye-opening and a reminder that we all need to do our part to reduce littering. We’re making progress and my hope is that these efforts, increased fines, new signage, and the plastic bag ban will all help curb the amount of litter we are seeing throughout our beautiful state.”

“Even with reduced traffic on our roads for a significant amount of time in the past year, our litter problem has persisted,” said Secretary of Transportation Nicole Majeski. “We are committed to reducing the amount of litter along our roads and I am grateful to our employees, partners, and volunteers who continue to work hard collecting litter across the state.”

The Keep DE Litter Free effort is one of several designed to keep Delaware outdoor living spaces free of trash and more enjoyable for all. As of Jan. 1, 2021, plastic carryout bags have been replaced by paper and reusable bags at checkout in many stores throughout Delaware. The law is designed to reduce beach and roadside litter, save landfill space, increase recycling efforts.

“Each Delawarean uses about 434 plastic bags and that means nearly 2,400 tons of plastic bags end up in our landfills annually,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “A decrease by the public of plastic carryout bags can mitigate a large portion of this waste and help our environment by reducing the amount plastic bags on our roads and waterways that can harm us and our wildlife.”

Retailers can choose to offer paper bags, or cloth bags, or a thicker type of plastic bag that is designed to be reusable. As before the law, plastic bags – as well as plastic wraps, plastic dry cleaning bags and plastic newspaper sleeves – must still be recycled only at the store. All reusable bags should be washed before the next shopping trip.

Consumers and retailers can find more information about the plastic bag ban at de.gov/bags. To discover how you can join the efforts to help Keep DE Litter Free visit de.gov/litterfree. Businesses and organizations interested in adopting or sponsoring a highway through DelDOT’s Adopt-A-Highway or Sponsor-A-Highway programs can apply now at DelDOT.gov.

Some May Have Had Trouble Accessing Virtual Hearing

On Wednesday , Oct. 21, 2020, DNREC conducted a virtual hearing on proposed regulations implementing a ban on single-use plastic bags in retail stores. Anyone who attempted to watch the hearing online by clicking on a direct link on the DNREC public hearing page was able to attend, and 12 members of the public were in attendance. As a result of a misprint that appeared in public notices, however, anyone who attempted to access the hearing online or by phone by manually entering the WebEx “event number” was unable to access the hearing.

DNREC encourages anyone interested in the proposed regulations implementing a ban on single-use plastic bags in retail stores to view the materials from Wednesday’s virtual public hearing. As with all DNREC public hearings, a transcript of the hearing has been made available online as well as the presentation from the hearing on the proposed regulations. All other exhibits – including written comments from the public – are also available online. The public hearing page is https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/events/public-hearing-plastic-bag-ban-and-recycling/.

DNREC will accept written comments on the proposed plastic bag ban regulations by email, webform or U.S. mail until Nov.5, details of which are provided on the public hearing webpage. DNREC provides period to accept written public comment after all regulatory hearings. Live comments presented at the hearing carry the same weight as written comments, as live comments are transcribed and made available to the hearing officer and the DNREC Secretary in their deliberation and decision process.

The ban on single use plastic bags was passed by the General Assembly in 2019, and the law becomes effective Jan. 1, 2021. The regulations – “Plastic Carryout Bag Ban and At Store Recycling Program,” 7 Del. Admin. Code 1301 Section 14 – include further details and provisions implementing the ban.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances ensures Delaware’s wastes are managed to protect human life, health, safety and the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with DNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media contact: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will host a virtual public workshop next month to discuss the State’s plastic bag ban and introduce draft At-Store Recycling Program Regulations. The informal workshop will offer the public an opportunity to better understand the changes and also provide feedback on the draft regulations which will be used to implement and support this program.

Facilitated by DNREC’s Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances’ Compliance and Permitting Section, the virtual workshop will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020 from 3 to 4:30 p.m.

The proposed regulations will allow the Department discuss the bag ban as well as improve the At-Store Recycling Program, discuss which stores will be impacted and what that impact will look like, and to ensure collection programs at stores for plastic carry out bags and plastic film are consistent with the law.

DNREC encourages all interested parties to attend, including residents, store owners and managers, waste service providers, retailers, recycling processors, plastic bag manufacturers, and environmental organizations.

The plastic bag ban and at-store recycling program video conferencing workshop can be accessed from the online DNREC calendar.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The Division of Waste and Hazardous Substances ensures Delaware’s wastes are managed to protect human life, health, safety and the environment. For more information, visit the website and connect with DNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media contact: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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