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Missouri Roadsides Need Spring Cleaning
Everything looks better after a good scrubbing, and Missouri’s roadsides and waterways are no exception. Volunteers can help make Missouri beautiful by cleaning up litter during the annual No MOre Trash! Bash starting April 1st.
“We are hoping for good weather this year, and double the amount of volunteers as we had last year,” said Stacy Armstrong, MoDOT roadside management supervisor.
In 2007, despite record cold in April, more than 10,000 volunteers collected over 72,000 bags of litter and numerous truckloads of larger items that wouldn’t fit into trash bags. People who helped clean up trash included MoDOT crews, Missouri Department of Conservation Stream Team members and other employees, Adopt-A-Highway participants, incarcerated crews and other volunteers.
Each year, MoDOT alone spends approximately $5.7 million to clear litter along highways throughout the state – mostly litter that people have thrown out vehicle windows. The Missouri Department of Conservation spends an additional $1 million a year to clean up waterways and conservation areas.
The more than 3,700 Adopt-A-Highway volunteer groups also spend countless hours on litter cleanup, but litter continues to line our roads and streams.
“The ultimate goal of the Bash is to raise awareness about littering,” Armstrong said. “The money spent on clean-up could be used in many more productive ways like fixing potholes and improving roads.”
The month-long Bash supports No MOre Trash!, a year-round litter prevention campaign established by the Missouri departments of Conservation and Transportation. To raise litter awareness during April, schedule a litter pickup, educate others about litter and/or conduct or participate in a litter-free activity visit www.nomoretrash.org.
Any volunteers who report their activities will be recognized for their efforts with a lapel pin. Brochures to help you keep track of your cleanup or other activity will be mailed to all existing Adopt-A-Highway groups on or around March 1.
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