DALLAS (AP) — The Don’t Mess With Texas anti-litter campaign has been around for 30 years with more chances to pick up trash across the state.
The Texas Department of Transportation on Wednesday marked the slogan’s 30th anniversary with plans to display, in Dallas, some trash picked up along highways.
Boy Scouts across Texas can try to earn a special merit badge to mark the anniversary by taking part in a trash-off Saturday targeting roads. The partnership involves TxDOT and the group Keep Texas Beautiful.
TxDOT officials say about 1,500 trash-off events were held last year across the state. About 85,000 volunteers collecting more than 10 million pounds of waste and recyclables.
The Don’t Mess With Texas campaign has included advertisements with celebrities including George Strait, Willie Nelson, Matthew McConaughey and LeAnn Rimes.
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Online:
http://www.dontmesswithtexas.org/
From the Fort Worth Business archives:
The “Don’t Mess With Texas” anti-littering slogan began in 1985 when the Texas Department of Transportation asked GSD&M for some help on a campaign against highway trash. The agency then spent about $20 million a year cleaning up tossed out fast-food containers and beer cans. The ad debuted Jan. 1, 1986 during the 50th Annual Cotton Bowl Classic. Texas blues master Stevie Ray Vaughn, playing his famous Fender Stratocaster sang “The Eyes of Texas” and then ended with the line “Don’t Mess With Texas.”
Suddenly, taking care of your trash became cooler than wearing string ties and a variety of Texas artists, from Asleep at the Wheel to Lyle Lovett have recorded the famous slogan. And the cost of cleanup on Texas highways? It dropped too, even as the state began adding people faster than anyone could count.
The slogan has been awarded with a plaque on the Madison Avenue Walk of Fame and a place in the Advertising Hall of Fame. Now, you can wear it with pride on your Texas-made boots.