The Cost of Litter

Litter is not only ugly, it’s expensive.  The Bureau of Solid Waste spends more than $5,000,000* annually on litter clean up.

How much does litter clean up really cost?

A $1,000 dollar clean up can purchase:

• City Services:
  • 181 pothole repairs
  • 6 Police Officers on patrol for one, eight-hour shift
• Resources:
  • 100 flu vaccines
  • 2 new trash cans
• Parks:
  • 100 park bench repairs
  • 29 trees
  • 5 ball field repairs
• Schools:
  • 53 school textbooks
• Playground Equipment:
  • 50 adult swings
  • 16 baby swings

Help us keep Baltimore clean – call 311 and report littered sites.

*This figure does not include the costs incurred by other agencies of the City including those associated with water contamination, soil contamination and other threats to public health such as rodent infestation.