The Michigan Department of Transportation’s annual Adopt a Highway roadside cleanups are now underway. In the southern half of the Lower Peninsula, volunteers will be out along the sides of highways from this Saturday to April 25 picking up trash. MDOT spokesperson Dan Weingarten told WSJM News last year the volunteers all belong to groups that get together to adopt a stretch of road to keep it clean.
“The program is free to participate in, and in exchange for their volunteer service, the groups get an Adopt a Highway sign on their stretch of roadway with their group’s name on it to let everybody know that they’re taking care of that stretch of roadway,” Weingarten said.
There are more than 2,700 volunteer groups picking up trash around Michigan as part of the program. On average, they collect 60,000 to 70,000 bags of trash, an estimated $5 million value for the state, each year. Anyone interested in taking part in Adopt a Highway can go to Michigan.gov/AdoptAHighway. Drivers are asked to be cautious when they see the vested volunteers out and about.
