The summer Adopt a Highway cleanup program starts today. The Michigan Department of Transportation’s Dan Weingarten tells WSJM News thousands of volunteers head out to the sides of roads to pick up trash, all in the spirit of making their communities more beautiful.
“It started back in the late 80s and was adopted in Michigan in 1990,” Weingarten said. “Basically, it spread from state to state and it was conceived as a way for volunteer groups and community organizations to get involved in beautification and making sure that roadways were clean.”
Weingarten says MDOT staff could never clean up litter at the volume that the 2,900 groups cleaning more than 6,000 miles of highway are able to pick up. They collect around 60,000 bags of litter each year. Drivers are asked to be careful when they see the volunteers in vests with trash bags. If you are part of a group that would like to take part, go to Michigan.gov/AdoptAHighway.
