RockThe Bag Tour Comes To Texarkana

You have probably heard of the "Don't Mess With Texas" campaign. If you thought it was all about proving just how tough Texans are, well it's not. It is an effort to keep litter off the state's roadways and this year's campaign is geared at "Generation L". Generation L means Generation Litterer, and if you are between the ages of 16 and 25, you are the target. "We are trying to make it socially unacceptable to litter, " says Adam Salinas, Rock The Bag staff member. Salinas travels around the state in the "Don't Mess With Texas" van. It is part of the Rock The Bag tour. The bag could soon take over a car near you.
 
Designer litter bags and air fresheners are being given away by TXDOT. "We believe that all cars should have a litter bag in them. It prevents people from throwing their trash out the window." From "I Love Texas" tattoo designs, to monster trucks, to break dancin' Texans -- it is all about throwing your trash away. "Young people like to have choices. Texas is such a diverse state." Eye candy for the "hip" in age, but these litter bags also work for "the young at heart." "25 and younger litter more than any other age group," says Salinas. You can get your bags online, free of charge, or stop by any TXDOT office and pick one up. Now when trash doesn't rock the bag, it ends up on the side of the road. Here are the numbers to prove that litter in the Ark-La-Tex is costly. In the three states, $51 million is spent each year to pick up trash on roadways. It costs Texas $32 million to keep roads clean. Arkansas spends $4 -million and before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Louisiana spent approximately $15 million on the state's litter problem.