Adopt-A-Highway Fall Statewide Cleanup set

 

The state Department of Environmental Protection is accepting registrations for the Saturday, Sept. 29 Adopt-A-Highway Fall Statewide Cleanup. Volunteers have until Friday, Sept. 14 to register.

Co-sponsored by the DEP and the state Division of Highways, the Adopt-A-Highway program is administered by the DEP’s Rehabilitation Environmental Action Plan (REAP). Its goals include improving the quality of our environment by encouraging public involvement in the elimination of highway litter.

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.

The Adopt-A-Highway program provides garbage bags, work gloves and safety vests to volunteers. The state also takes care of disposing of collected trash. Volunteers must be at least 12 years old to participate.

More than 3,400 volunteers turned out for the fall 2011 Adopt-A-Highway cleanup and cleared over 1,500 miles of West Virginia roadways. Since the program’s inception in 1988, state citizens have cleaned up close to 70,000 miles of state highways and roads during annual spring and fall Adopt-A-Highway events.

To register, call 1-800-322-5530 or send an email to: dep.aah@wv.gov. If you reach the REAP voicemail, please leave your ID, phone number, group name, date of cleanup, number of participants and the county where your adopted road is located.

Contact:

Tom Aluise
304-926-0499
Thomas.J.Aluise@wv.gov