Good news! Highway litter is about to get cleaned up. If it seems like there is more litter along the highways, there’s a reason. Not all of the pickups were able to be completed last year and the trash piled up in some areas.
The Michigan Department of Transportation is starting “Adopt-a-Highway” pickup on April 17th for the southern half of the lower peninsula. The pickup goes until April 25th.
Volunteers work with an organization that adopts a stretch of road to clean up. MDOT then picks up the bags of trash and takes them to the dump.
Motorists are asked to stay on the lookout for the volunteers who should be wearing high-visibility safety vests, provided by MDOT. Use caution when driving near the volunteers.
Typically, 2,900 groups volunteer to clean up 6,000 miles of highway in Michigan, filling up nearly 70,000 bags. Last year, only 20,000 bags were filled. There are pickups in July and late September also.
MDOT has been organizing the “Adopt-a-Highway” Program since 1990, with an estimated cost savings of $5 million annually by using volunteer labor. There are still stretches of road that need adoption. Groups are asked to commit to their zone for two years.
For more information on Adopting a Highway:
www.Michigan.gov/AdoptAHighway
Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland
