Adopt a Highway volunteers cleaned 1,500 miles of highway last year

PHOENIX — Adopt a Highway volunteers cleaned about 1,500 miles along state highways and collected 14,000 bags of trash, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

To put a monetary value on this: it saved taxpayers half a million dollars.

“As a frontier state, Arizona has a long history of self-sacrifice and volunteerism, and these impressive numbers illustrate those values,” ADOT director John Halikowski said in a press release. “Highways provide a first impression of Arizona for many visitors, so we all owe a debt of gratitude to those who are investing time and effort through Adopt a Highway.”

Volunteers apply for two-year permits to “adopt” the highway. In doing so, they get a blue sign with the name of the organization they represent.

The group is expected to clean that stretch of the highway at least three times a year, ADOT said.

In 2017, more than 11,000 volunteers participated in the program. According to ADOT, there are other highway stretches still available for “adoption.”

“We have to continue changing the culture until everyone instinctively knows that littering is absolutely unacceptable,” Halikowski said.

To apply for the program, visit azdot.gov/AdoptAHighway. Volunteers must be at least 12 years old.

ADOT provides trash bags, scheduled trash collection and safety training.

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