Earlier this week, “Naked City” received a package from the Texas Dept. of Transportation’s “Don’t Mess with Texas” anti-litter campaign — a standard black folder containing a plastic insert stuffed with used straw paper, three cigarette butts, a plastic soda cup lid and straw, pieces of a ripped paper plate, and what appears to be tissue paper smeared with ketchup. A call to TxDoT’s travel division confirmed our suspicion that the folder of trash was purchased at taxpayer expense. According to a TXDoT spokeswoman, the garbage didn’t originate from the roadside, but is “pseudo-garbage” — made specifically for recipients of the campaign’s special folders.
This article appears in January 25 • 2002.