Jackson-Madison students receive 10,000 reusable water bottles for anti-litter initiative

As part of the Nobody Trashes Tennessee cleanup initiative and while promoting hydration and wellness in schools, the Madison County Sheriff's Office began dispersing 10,000 water bottles to Jackson-Madison County School System students on Wednesday.

Students gathered in the gym of Pope Elementary School to hear sheriff's deputies discuss how reusable water bottles will aid in the elimination of potential litter.

The water bottle distribution was made possible through a Litter Prevention Grant provided by the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT).

Started in June 2017, the Nobody Trashes Tennessee campaign aims to "correct litter behaviors" through education and awareness.

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Pope School Principal Tracey Vowell says that educating children at a young age about littering "makes a difference."

"That partnership with the sheriff's department and our students makes a huge difference in all we do keeping our community safe," Vowell said. "The children greeted them as they exited today and I think making those connections provides a positive relationship and support of our children and their well-being in our school and community."

MSCO Director of Operations Jeff Wall echoed this notion, touting that "the collaboration between the sheriff's department and the school system has been phenomenal."

All 95 counties in Tennessee receive an annual allotment of grant funding for litter pick-up, prevention education, and abatement. in the 2022-20233 fiscal year, TDOT spent $5.5 million on county litter grants.

Madison County received $63,200 of that total, according to the TDOT Litter Grant Annual Report.

Wall shared that under the direction of Sheriff Julian Wiser, the Madison County Litter Crew collected 100,000 pounds of trash in 2023, the equivalent of three full-size school buses.

"Hopefully they will learn a little about what litter is, where trash belongs, and certainly not throwing it out of the car window as you're going down the road," Wall said. "We're hoping that that will be a little bit of an education experience for them and so we can teach out younger generations what's right and what's wrong as far as litter is concerned."

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: JMCSS students to receive reusable water bottles through TDOT grant