NEWS RELEASE

JEFFERSON PARISH, LOUISIANA

September 1, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JEFFERSON PARISH TO ENFORCE TARPS ON ALL COMMERCIAL VEHICLES TO HELP COMBAT LITTER

JEFFERSON, LA – Effective today, September 1, 2022, the Jefferson Parish Environmental Affairs Department will enforce tarping loads on commercial vehicles. All cargo transported on roadways through Jefferson Parish, in route to area landfills, must be secured within the transporting vehicle so that it does not fall, spill off or otherwise become dislodged from the vehicle. This will be photo enforced and those who do not comply will be fined $500, plus hearing costs. CLICK HERE for a video with more information.

 “This initiative is part of an overall litter abatement strategy which will focus on education, enforcement and awareness. Our hope is that this will go a long way in making sure people just do the right thing,” said Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng. “We believe untarped trucks is the cause of a lot of litter, which poorly impacts the quality of life for our entire community and is discouraging to our parish departments who go clean up all the time only to find more trash out every single day. Litter is detrimental to our community, leading to blight on roadways, flooding caused by clogged storm drains, and a negative impact on economic development, infrastructure and tourism. We all must work together and do our part to call attention to this problem and keep Jefferson Parish clean.”

Tarping of loads will be monitored by newly installed cameras located at entrances and exits of the two landfills located in Jefferson Parish. The Jefferson Parish Environmental Affairs Department reached out to commercial haulers in July to advise them that any commercial hauler transporting to area landfills must secure their loads with a tarp or face fines and penalties as outlined in the Jefferson Parish Code of Ordinance 26418, which was adopted by the Jefferson Parish Council on May 11, 2022. Ordinance 26418 added a definition of a “Commercial Hauler” and added a provision pertaining to the tarping of loads on commercial vehicles to reflect littering provisions outlined in Louisiana state law. This new enforcement coincides with a resolution passed by the Jefferson Parish Council at the August 24, 2022 council meeting, which announced a zero tolerance for litter policy to improve and conserve the aesthetic quality and environmental health of Jefferson Parish.

For more information about this new enforcement, contact the Department of Environmental Affairs at 504-731-4612. For more information about Jefferson Parish, visit www.jeffparish.net. Residents can also receive regular updates by following the Parish on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@JeffParishGov) or by texting JPALERT or JPNOTICIAS to 888-777.

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Jefferson Parish Public Information Office 1221 Elmwood Park Boulevard, Suite 1002 Jefferson, LA 70123

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Gretchen Hirt Gendron, PIO