A winter’s worth of garbage is about to get cleaned on Wisconsin’s state highways thanks to the Adopt-a-Highway program.
Wisconsin’s state highways have been adopted by over 27-hundred organizations as part of the program, and they’re tasked with cleaning up their two-mile stretch of road three times every year.
Department of Transportation spokesman Rob Miller says the groups are very effective at keeping Wisconsin’s roads clean. “Last year our Adopt-a-Highway groups collected 165 tons of trash and recyclables.”
You can expect to see plenty of volunteer crews on the side of the roads thanks to the thaw, and Miller says drivers need to tratt the volunteer crews like they would any other work zone in the state. “You just really need to be alert, you need to slow down, give them a little safety zone so they can do their work safely.”
If you or your organization is looking to find your own stretch of road, Miller says there’s plenty of highway left to adopt. “About one-third of that system is still available for adoption. So basically what we’re saying is there’s always room for more volunteers.”
You can find out more about the program online at the WisDOT website.