Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser announced Louisiana is cracking down on littering and illegal dumping by increasing enforcement efforts. During a news conference prior to the start of the Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) State Conference, Lt. Gov. Nungesser was joined by Representative John Illg, Jr. (R – District 78) to talk about the recent passage of Act 67 during the 2025 Legislative Session giving State Park Rangers the jurisdiction to enforce state litter laws anywhere in Louisiana. Additionally, Lt. Gov. Nungesser detailed a revamp of enforcement through the litter hotline and the process involved, and a coming initiative to clean up Louisiana’s waterways.
Nungesser asked citizens to step up and report littering and illegal dumping to the litter hotline at 855-LA-LITTER. With the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Louisiana State Parks, and Keep Louisiana Beautiful working together, there will be a greater enforcement response to those who choose to litter the beautiful state of Louisiana.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will field hotline calls. KLB and State Park Rangers then step in to gather information and evidence. For a citation to be issued, the caller must be willing to sign an affidavit. The following information is needed when reporting: vehicle make and license plate information; location of offense; and photos and/or video, if available.
For simple littering, when there is enough evidence, the case will be heard in Civil Court and citations will be issued. For illegal dumping, which is gross littering and a criminal offense, the process is more in-depth. A state park ranger or another local enforcement agent will investigate, collect evidence, and build a case for prosecution.
Those convicted of litter violations face first offense fines between $175 and $1,000 and up to 8 hours in a litter abatement work program.
Simple littering, such as trash flying out the back of a pickup truck, carries up to $175 in fines plus court costs.
Intentional littering, such as deliberately throwing trash out of a window onto a roadway, brings up to a $250 fine.
Gross littering, such as depositing large amounts of trash into a ditch or having an illegal dumpsite, carries $500 to $1,000 in fines.
Dumping violations can carry higher fines and additional penalties, depending on the severity of the dumpsite and the damage to the environment.
To emphasize the severity of the state’s litter problem, Keep Louisiana Beautiful’s Executive Director Susan Russell shared key statistics from Louisiana’s litter study: A public perception study found 92% of citizens believe Louisiana has a serious litter problem.
Litter costs the state over $91 million annually, with 87% spent on remediation and only three percent on enforcement.
68% of Louisianans want more litter enforcement.
Russell also shared that KLB conducted training for 39 enforcement officers on how to use surveillance cameras to capture gross littering. KLB then awarded $100,000 in grants to enforcement agencies throughout the state to support their efforts to increase litter enforcement.
In addition to increased enforcement, Nungesser announced Love Our Waterways, a new statewide monthlong waterway cleanup initiative organized by Keep Louisiana Beautiful coming in September 2026.
