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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Thousands of volunteers will be out along West Virginia’s roadsides picking up litter Saturday during the annual Adopt-A-Highway Fall Statewide Cleanup, which is scheduled for 8 a.m. to noon. As always, drivers are asked to be vigilant and keep an eye out for people on and beside the roadways.
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) group. Program 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 through the program.
The enormously popular Adopt-A-Highway program, 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 information about the Adopt-a-Highway program or to register a cleanup, call 1-800-322-5530 or send an email to dep.aah@wv.gov. If you reach the REAP voicemail, please leave your name, phone number, group name, date of cleanup, number of participants, and the county where your adopted road is located..
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.