CALIFORNIA — The numbers are in for the 2018 “California Clean-Up”, and they’re quite impressive, according to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). Crews and volunteers in the counties of Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern picked up over 411 cubic yards of litter during the one-day event. That’s enough to fill 2,877 orange trash bags or 26 full-size trash trucks.
Every year on “California Clean-Up Day, Caltrans focuses all of its efforts on litter and debris removal in an effort to draw awareness to the resources spent keeping the roads clean and safe for motorists.
Last year, almost $70 million was directed toward picking up trash from California’s state highways. That’s money and manpower that Caltrans would rather spend repairing and upgrading roads and other infrastructure. Unfortunately, that expense continues to climb each year.
Litter is also bad for the environment as much of it ends up in our canals, streams and lakes. Furthermore, wildlife is also adversely affected by trash and discarded waste. Most noticeably, litter is very unsightly and the public is encouraged to report trouble spots to our Customer Service Request system on our website at csr.dot.ca.gov.
Carrying a litter bag inside of your vehicle and properly securing loads are also ways that the public can help keep our highways clean. Another option is to participate in the Adopt-A-Highway (AAH) Program. Caltrans encourages community-minded citizens and businesses to consider adopting a section of highway.
To learn more about the AAH Program, contact the local AAH Coordinator Rafaela Lee at 559-445-5394.
Caltrans would like to thank all who rolled up their sleeves and participated in this year’s clean-up event.
As always, motorists are reminded to watch for Maintenance Crews and volunteer groups picking up litter on the side of the road and to “Move Over” if safe to do so.
