Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser today announced Louisiana is cracking down on littering and illegal dumping by increasing enforcement efforts. During a news conference this morning prior to the start of the Keep Louisiana Beautiful (KLB) State Conference, Lt. Governor 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. Governor Nungesser detailed a revamp of enforcement through the litter hotline and the process involved, and a coming initiative to clean up Louisiana's waterways.

"What this means is there will be an increase in citations for littering and illegal dumping. We need to hold people accountable for their actions if we want to see behavioral change," said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser.

Lt. Governor 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:

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.

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:

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, Lt. Governor Nungesser announced Love Our Waterways, a new statewide month-long waterway cleanup initiative organized by Keep Louisiana Beautiful coming in September 2026.

"Studies show 80% of marine litter starts on land, and once debris enters waterways it becomes significantly harder to remove," said Lt. Governor Nungesser. "It is damaging to habitats, wildlife, seafood, and our way of life in our Sportsman's Paradise. Let's all work together next September to clean up Louisiana's lakes, rivers, and bayous."