Missourians from every corner of the state are asked to do spring cleaning outdoors and help fight litter through the state’s annual No MOre Trash! Bash throughout the month of April. The Trash Bash is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) as part of their ongoing No MOre Trash! statewide anti-litter campaign.
The annual Trash Bash encourages people to clean up litter all across Missouri, from roadsides, parks, neighborhoods, rivers, streams, trails, and other places.
Volunteers are needed across the state to participate in litter cleanup activities. Participants can report their cleanup efforts and will receive a thank you No MOre Trash! pin specially designed to commemorate the 30th birthday of the campaign mascot Peanut the Turtle.
Peanut is a living example of how litter can affect wildlife. When young, the turtle crawled into a plastic six-pack ring that someone had thrown on the ground instead of a trashcan. The ring got hung on her shell. Eventually, her shell grew but the ring stayed on giving her the shape of a peanut. She was found and taken to the St. Louis Zoo where the ring was cut off. She has lived with the Missouri Department of Conservation since 1993.
For more information and to learn how to participate, visit nomoretrash.org or call 1-888-ASK-MODOT (1-888-275-6636).