Washington Litter Summit
The Washington Litter Summit was held on the afternoon of July 19 and morning of July 20, 2022.
Waste and litter issues are detrimental to human and environmental health, wildlife, the economy and are a huge concern for residents. A group of state, local and non-profit organizations planned this statewide summit to highlight innovative programs, strategies and best practices to address this growing issue. The online event included a variety of engaging sessions with Q&A on homeless encampments, litter prevention and messaging, technology, funding, policy, cleanup programs and more. Other topics included studies of the psychology of littering, how products can be designed to be less easy to litter, new WA litter data, and successful on-the-ground programs.
The agenda included four sessions with the themes of: Homeless encampments, Prevention/Messaging, Cleanups and Policy/Programs/Best Practices. The keynote presenters were: Jeff Kirschner (Founder & CEO of Litterati) discussing data-driven approach in communities across the US to address the problem and Nancy Lee (Founder and President of Social Marketing Services) talking about lessons learned from social marketing.
Presentation recordings and powerpoints (For Speaker Bios, click here)
July 19th 12-3:30 pm
Opening: Video
Welcome, logistics and opening remarks by Senator Phil Fortunato
Opening Key Note: Jeff Kirschner, CEO of Litterati. How Litter Data Is Changing Policy, Packaging, and Personal Responsibility
Jeff Kirschner’s presentation: PDF
Session 1: Homeless encampment: Video
- Bart Potter, WA DES. Statewide Master Contracts for Homeless Encampment and Litter Cleanup
- Julie Gilbertson, City of Vancouver. Talkin’ Trash program: Low barrier employment and housing through litter cleanup work
- Harold Odom, Lived Experience Coalition. Perspective of encampment residents on trash management
- Sayde Heminger, City of Tacoma. Tacoma’s purple bag program
Bart Potter’s presentation: PDF
Julie Gilbertson’s presentation: PDF
Sayde Heminger’s presentation: PDF
Session 2: Prevention/Messaging: Video
- Amber Smith, WA Department of Ecology. We Keep WA Litter Free Social Marketing Campaign
- Renee Bator, SUNY Plattsburgh. Who gives a hoot? Harnessing the influence of conformity, receptacles, and signage to reduce littering
- Olga Kachook, GreenBlue. Packaging design to reduce litter
- Susan McCleary, City of Olympia and Paige Morris, City of Burien. Shut the lid on pollution – Regional NPDES dumpster lid campaign
Amber Smith’s presentation: PDF
Renee Bator’s presentation: PDF
Olga Kachook’s presentation: PDF
Susan McCleary and Paige Morris’s presentation: PDF
July 20th 9:00 am – 12:30 pm
Session 3: Cleanup/Technologies: Video
- Steven Williams, WA State Department of Ecology. Statewide Litter Programs and Funding Opportunities
- Cleanup Panel
- Jule Schultz, Spokane Riverkeeper. Engaging communities to get involved (protocols)
- Chris Lopez, Eastside Collaborative. Swan Creek Cleanup, Eastside Tacoma
- Liz Schotman, Surfrider Foundation. Butts and other cleanup programs
Steven Williams’s presentation: PDF
Jule Schultz’s presentation: PDF
Chris Lopez’s presentation: No powerpoint, see session video for his specific video
Liz Schotman’s presentation: PDF
Session 4: Policy/Effective Programs/Best Practices/Effectiveness assessment: Video
- Omkar “Om” Aphale and Bethany Drahota, Cascadia Consulting Group. 2022 Washington State Litter Study
- Kristy Day, Kitsap County, WM. Leveraging Community Engagement for Data Solutions
- Randy Hartmann, Keep America Beautiful. National litter reduction efforts – programs achieving 50% reduction and beyond
- Heather Trim, Zero Waste Washington. Legislation and Policy Solutions, including models from other states
Omkar “Om” Aphale and Bethany Drahota’s presentation: PDF
Kristy Day’s presentation: PDF
Randy Hartmann’s presentation: PDF
Heather Trim’s presentation: PDF
Breakout rooms: Discussion Notes
Closing: Video
Closing Key Note: Nancy Lee, Social Marketing Services, Inc. Ten Environmental Social Marketing Success Stories
Nancy Lee’s presentation: PDF
Closing remarks by Representative Liz Berry
Thank you to the planning committee:
- Angela Gallardo, City of Tacoma
- Gerrit Nyland, Pierce County Human Services
- Heather Trim, Zero Waste Washington
- Amber Smith, WA State Department of Ecology
- Jenny Frankl, City of Seattle
- Jule Schultz, Spokane River Keeper
- Lewis Griffith, City of Tacoma
- Gillian Flippo, Puget Soundkeeper Alliance
- Sam Lake, City of Tacoma
- Sayde Heminger, City of Tacoma
- Margaret McCauley, USEPA
- Kelsey Dunne, WA State Department of Ecology
- Steven Williams, WA State Department of Ecology
- Morgan John, King County