Trash Can Contest

MoDOT sponsors the No MOre Trash! Trash-Can-Decorating Contest as part of Missouri's "No MOre Trash!" campaign to raise awareness and discourage littering. The contest encourages Missouri students to join the fight against litter by decorating and displaying a large trash can with the "No MOre Trash!" logo and a litter prevention message using a variety of creative mediums.

The 2025 contest entry form is below. Submissions are due March 14, 2025.

The Rules

Decorate a 30-gallon (or larger) trash can to be located in a prominent area of the school or community (cafeteria, gymnasium, ball field, library, church, park, etc.).
Each design must include the No MOre Trash! logo and a litter-prevention slogan. Download a black-and-white or two-color No MOre Trash! logo below.
Artistic media choices can include, but are not limited to: paint, fabric, glitter, crayon, wax, paper, photos, etc. Use of recycled materials is encouraged but not required.
No entry fee is required. Only entries submitted by Missouri schools, including home schools, will be accepted. Schools may submit one entry in each category: grades K-2, 3-5, 6-8 and 9-12.
Schools must submit a release form for MoDOT use of their photo(s) in the event that the school is one of the winners. Download the release form below.
Entries must consist of the completed entry form below, up to three photographs of the decorated trash can (photos must be in-focus, provide clear images of the project, and one should include participants) and the signed release form. Participants may also submit a video of the project, but it is not required.

The Prizes

The school submitting the grand prize entry will receive $600 and a trophy.
$200 will be awarded to one entry in each competition category.
The grand prize winner will have their trash can displayed at the MoDOT building on the State Fairgrounds during the State Fair in August, with permission of the winning school.
Please note: winning schools must be registered as vendors with the State to receive payment.

Downloadable Materials

No MOre Trash! Contest Release Form

2024 Winners

K-2 Grade Category

Congratulations to teacher Lauren Roth and their second grade MOSAICS gifted education students at Pierremont Elementary School in Pierremont on winning the K-2 category for their entry, “Beep, Bop, Boop! Help Wall-E block up trash one piece at a time!”

“My second grade MOSAICS gifted education students are studying the ocean and realizing the negative impact that trash is having on our ocean and ocean life,” wrote Roth in their submission entry. “The ‘No MOre Trash’ contest is a perfect way to bring awareness to our community at Pierremont. The trash can will be on display in our cafeteria."

The school will receive a check for $200 for the category win.

3-5 Grade Category

Congratulations to teacher Kendra Stecko and their Media Production Club students at Twin Chimneys Elementary School in O’Fallon on winning the 3-5 category for their “Trashbusters” entry!

“Our Media Production Club worked for many weeks coming up with a unique idea to inspire ‘No MO Trash’ for our state,” Stecko wrote in their submission entry. “Students came up with a ‘Trashbusters’ theme in honor of the newest Ghostbusters movie. We will strive to eliminate litter from our great state of Missouri and keep it beautiful!”

The school will receive a check for $200 for the category win.

6-8 Grade Category

Congratulations to teacher Valerie Walker and their grades 6-8 students at Festus Middle School in Festus on winning the 6-8 category for their entry, “The Wizard Says: Cast Away Trash!”

“Students worked collaboratively on their wizard-in-space idea and came up with the ‘Cast Away Trash!’ slogan," wrote Walker in their submission entry. “This group hopes you are truly spellbound and inspired to keep trash in the can!”

The school will receive a check for $200 for the category win.

9-12 Grade Category And Grand Prize

Congratulations to teacher Patricia Mudd and their ceramics class students at Bayless High School in St. Louis on winning the 9-12 category for their entry, “Feed Me MO Trash!”

“Bayless High School students in the Ceramics II Sculpture class collaborated to create a trash can design,” Mudd wrote in their submission entry. "’Feed Me MO Trash’ was inspired by the upcoming school production of Little Shop of Horrors and the piranha plants featured in The Super Mario Bros. video game series. Pedro the Potted Piranha Plant will be present in the Bayless hallways, changing locations weekly for students to find in a ‘Where Is Pedro?’ challenge.”

The school will receive a check for $200 for the category win as well as $600 and a trophy as the grand prize winner.