While Adopt-A-Highway programs in many southern states can run all year long, we here in Michigan have to retire the safety vests and trash bags when the weather starts to turn, so this Saturday launches the Michigan Department of Transportation’s final cleanup session of the year.
As summer gives way to fall, volunteers will soon fan out along Michigan state roadsides looking for trash during the year’s final Adopt-A-Highway pickup. Thousands of volunteers in the popular MDOT program will be picking up litter from this Saturday, September 21st, through Sunday, September 29th.
There are three scheduled Adopt-A-Highway pickups each year: one each in the spring, summer and fall seasons. Volunteers in Michigan have been participating in the program since 1990. Every year, Adopt-A-Highway volunteers collect 65,000 to 70,000 bags of trash. The popular program has grown to involve nearly 2,800 groups cleaning 6,100 miles of highway.
Drivers should be on the lookout beginning Saturday for volunteers wearing high-visibility, yellow-green safety vests. MDOT provides free vests and trash bags, and arranges to haul away all of the trash.
Volunteers include members of civic groups, businesses and even families. Crew members have to be at least 12 years old and each group must include at least three people. Groups are asked to adopt a section of highway for at least two years. There is no fee to participate. Adopt-A-Highway signs bearing group names are posted along the stretches of adopted highway.
Sections of highway are still available for adoption all over the state. Getting involved in the program is straightforward. Interested groups can get more information online at this link:
http://www.Michigan.gov/AdoptAHighway
Several landfills in southwestern Michigan are also pitching in to help the Adopt-A-Highway program, including Orchard Hill in Berrien County, the Southeast Berrien Landfill near Niles, and others such as Westside Landfill in St. Joseph County, C&C Landfill in Calhoun County, and Republic Services Gembrit Circle Transfer Station in Kalamazoo. All have agreed to accept trash generated by the three annual AAH pickups at no charge. In exchange, those businesses will receive a sign recognizing their support from the team at MDOT.
