A new campaign lead by the Oxford Police Department will educate the city about littering. The OPD is launching their anti-littering campaign today, which will focus on spreading liteer awareness to the citizens of Oxford.  

During the campaign, OPD will make citizens aware that any litter thrown or discarded from a motor vehicle or pickup truck is the responsibility of the vehicle’s operator who can then be held legally responsible. The fines for littering start at $250 on highways and are a minimum of $500 inside Oxford city limits.  

The main issue the campaign hopes to tackle is confronting unsecure truckloads. OPD wants citizens to know both private and commercial drivers are responsible for anything that is blown from the uncovered bed of their pickup truck. This is the leading cause of trash in Oxford. 

“The city can’t be solely responsible for cleaning it up,” sergeant Donovan Lyons of OPD said. “I’ve seen so many people walk over trash when it’s so easy just to pick up the glass bottle and throw it away.” 

Lyons noted the city has picked up over 12,000 pounds of litter in the past six months and estimated Oxford cleans up 12-24,000 pounds of trash every year. 

During the campaign, citizens will notice increased details for littler pick up. OPD encourages drivers to pay attention and drive carefully when you see these details on city roads and highways.