When spring finally comes (it's only nine weeks away!) we will all be reminded of the messy truth buried beneath our snow banks: litterbugs continue to make a mess in Massachusetts. Plastic water bottles, fast food trash, and a scary number of alcoholic beverage containers are scattered along our roadsides.

There is, however, some good news to report on the litter front. While it remains a problem today, litter was far worse 40 years ago. In fact, a recent study by Keep America Beautiful found that nationwide, visible roadside litter is down 61 percent since 1968.

Nevertheless, there are still 51.2 billion - that's billion with a "b" - pieces of litter along our nation's roadways. Of this, 37 percent comes from tobacco products, 22 percent is paper, and 19 percent is plastic. In fact, plastic litter has increased 165 percent since 1968, which is not surprising given the fact that many of us are afraid to leave the house without a water bottle in hand.

Keep America Beautiful's study also found that younger people are much more likely to litter than older folks are. Perhaps that's because today, you don't see any public service announcements admonishing you to "give a hoot, don't pollute." If you grew up in the '70s, you couldn't escape TV ads featuring a crying Native American (played by an actor of Sicilian descent) with the famous tagline "people start pollution, people can stop it."

Perhaps inspired by these messages, cities and towns across America have initiated various programs to clean up our national landscape over the past 30 to 40 years. For example, each year between March 1 and May 31, Keep America Beautiful sponsors the Great American Cleanup. Last year, an estimated three million volunteers cleaned and beautified more than 17,000 communities across all 50 states. Earth Day will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this April 22. While we've made progress as a nation, here in Massachusetts we could be doing a lot more. Currently, Mass Highway relies on inmate work programs and its own depleted crews to remove litter from our state highways (major routes like 95 and 495). The state also sponsors the Adopt-a-Highway program, whereby company volunteers or community groups remove litter from two-mile sections of highway on a monthly basis. The Sponsor-A-Highway program allows companies to donate cash to pay others to remove litter, while the Adopt-a-Visibility Site program targets rest areas and highway off ramps.

These programs are all great examples of public/private sector partnerships that allow us to tackle a problem without adding hundreds of workers to our state payrolls.

While a step in the right direction, we could be doing a lot more here in Bristol County, Norfolk County, and across the state of Massachusetts. Consider that Massachusetts has only four Keep America Beautiful affiliates statewide (Mansfield, Lowell, Chelsea, and Springfield). These numbers pale in comparison to states like Georgia, which has more than 70 local affiliates, as well as a statewide affiliate.

In these financially challenging times, it's up to all of us to protect our landscape from those who treat their environment like a dump. If you are disheartened by the appearance of your town, remember that ordinary citizens can step up and make a real difference.

Here in Bristol County, Keep Mansfield Beautiful is kicking off planning for the third annual Great American Cleanup of Mansfield on May 1. Over the past two years, more than 1,000 Mansfield residents have pitched in and removed tons of litter that had accumulated over many years. The noticeable reduction of roadside litter is especially evident when you reach Mansfield's borders with surrounding towns. Keep Blackstone Valley Beautiful is also organizing cleanups in several towns, while Attleboro is hosting its annual Ten Mile River Cleanup.

Of all the challenges our society faces, litter is one of the few that's entirely preventable. So, if you have kids, teach them that it's wrong to litter. If you're a smoker, use your car's ashtray rather than tossing your butts out the window. And if you want to clean up your own neighborhood, adopt a local street and keep it litter free, or better yet, organize a Great American Cleanup event in your town.

NEIL RHEIN is chairman of Keep Mansfield Beautiful. To learn more about organizing a cleanup in your community, go to www.kab.org, www.keepmansfieldbeautiful.com. or www.keepblackstonevalleybeautiful.com.