RENO, NV - Results from the annual community-wide Litter Index conducted by Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful volunteers indicate that the overall cleanliness of the Truckee Meadows and its surrounding areas remains very high. Christi Cakiroglu, Executive Director of Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful reports that "the results are encouraging and indicate that more people are doing every day things to prevent and get rid of litter like securely closing trash can lids, keeping trash out of the back of their pickup trucks, and picking up litter when they go for a walk." Cakiroglu adds that "although our neighborhoods may be looking better, we still have a lot of work to do with our Open Space areas. Transfer station fees are less than the cost of a tank of gas – yet people are still dumping in the hills illegally."
To conduct the Litter Index the entire Truckee Meadows Community stretching from Cold Springs to Galena and Sparks to Verdi are divided into fifteen different areas. For the first time this year Cold Springs was added "as the fifteenth area as a reflection of the growth in our community" stated Cakiroglu. When compared with last year’s results nine of these areas were found to be cleaner, three areas were dirtier, and two areas remained the same. Cold Springs results rated as a 1.2 which Cakiroglu states "is a relatively high cleanliness level."
The Litter Index is a national initiative of Keep America Beautiful that provides a starting point for the litter prevention process. The Litter Index is conducted by volunteer teams who rank areas of town on a cleanliness scale of one to four. Keep America Beautiful guidelines signify that a "1" means "virtually no litter can be observed," while a designation of "4" indicates that "major illegal dumpsites are present, requiring equipment or extra manpower for removal." The results of the individual cleanliness rankings for these areas can be seen below. Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful is an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful and is dedicated to creating a cleaner, more beautiful region through education and active community involvement. To find out more about how you can help keep the Truckee Meadows beautiful call 775.851.5185.
| Results | 2001 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southeast CAB | 2.4 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.1 |
| Southeast Reno NAB | 3.8 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
| Northwest Reno NAB | 2.4 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 1.1 |
| West University NAB | 2.7 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 1.7 |
| Southwest CAB | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.2 |
| Galena | 1.7 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.5 |
| Ward 1, Downtown Reno | 1.3 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.7 |
| W. Truckee Meadows CAB | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Ward 2, Central Reno | 1.7 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| Northeast Reno NAB | 2.9 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| Spanish Springs | 3.8 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 1.3 |
| Sparks | 2.8 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| Sun Valley | 3.8 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 2.1 |
| North Valleys | 3.0 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.4 |
| Cold Springs | 1.2 | ||||
| TOTALS | 2.4 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.5 |
WHAT THE NUMBERS MEAN:
| 1 | No Litter | Virtually no litter can be observed |
| 2 | Slightly Littered | Upon careful inspection, a small amount of litter is obvious |
| 3 | Littered | Visible litter can readily be seen throughout the area, likely requiring an organized cleanup |
| 4 | Extremely Littered | Major illegal dumpsites are present, requiring equipment or extra manpower for removal |