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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – This weekend the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) and West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) will honor the thousands of volunteers that keep our roadways free of litter as part of the Adopt-A-Highway Program. The event is set for Saturday, Aug. 6 at 9:00 a.m. at Tamarack in Raleigh County.
The celebration will include the presentation of the Annual Adopt-A-Highway Awards and announcement of the 2016 Adopt-A-Highway Volunteer of the Year. Volunteers with 10, 15, 20, and 25 years of service will receive lapel pins and a special Adopt-A-Highway safety vest imprinted with the number of years they have volunteered.
Adopt-A-Highway is administered by the WVDEP’s Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan (REAP) group. Individuals, families, churches, businesses, schools, civic organizations, government agencies, and communities can register to pick up trash on almost any state-maintained road, back road, or main route. Private roads and interstate highways cannot be adopted through the program.
Adopt-A-Highway, which began in 1988, helps ensure that thousands of miles of roads are free of litter. Adopt-A-Highway volunteers recycle about 10,000 pounds of glass, 8,000 pounds of aluminum, and 5,000 pounds of plastic each year. Currently more than 40,000 volunteers representing more than 1,400 organizations keep more than 3,300 miles of West Virginia roads litter free.
For more DEP news and information, go to www.dep.wv.gov. Also, be sure to connect with the agency on all social media platforms. Follow @DEPWV on Twitter and find us on YouTube by searching “Environment Matters.” For specific information about our REAP (Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan), West Virginia Project WET (Water Education for Teachers), West Virginia Watershed Improvement Branch, Youth Environmental Program and Human Resources initiatives, connect on Facebook.