Tennessee State University Athletes Clean Community for No Trash November

This month is No Trash November in Tennessee—a month-long initiative of the state’s Nobody Trashes Tennessee campaign, which encourages Tennesseans to participate in community cleanup events.

This year, according to WKRN-TV, 120 athletes from Tennessee State University (TSU), as well as coaches and athletic department staff, worked with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) last week to pick up trash along their area’s roadways.

“Our Big Blue pride runs deep, and we are proud to play a role in keeping our community clean and safe by hosting a cleanup for No Trash November again this year,” said Dr. Mikki Allen, TSU director of athletics.

According to TDOT, more than 100 million pieces of trash litter Tennessee’s roads, statewide, and costs the state more than US$23 million a year for pickup and prevention.

“This area [in Nashville] is kind of neglected,” said Patrick Boone Jr., a TSU sophomore who participated in the trash pickup. “So, I really just want to turn this around and just make this…a positive impact, and I want people to understand that we’re still here, we’re still a thriving community.”

On the state’s website, Brittany Morris of TDOT’s Beautification Office said, “We are grateful for our many partners across the state that are once again coming together in November to help us in our mission to prevent and reduce litter and look forward to reaching our goal to remove 50,000 pounds of litter from our roadways.”

Last year’s campaign included 95 events with more than 1,300 volunteers who collected over 48,000 pounds of litter from the state’s roadways.

“Litter on our public roads is detrimental to safety, the environment, and the economy, while also detracting from Tennessee’s natural beauty,” said Butch Eley, TDOT commissioner. “We want to ensure our roadways are safe from the harmful effects of litter, especially with the upcoming holidays and increased travel.”