The Lassen District of the California Department of Transportation will join eleven other Caltrans districts statewide for an all out litter cleanup day this Thursday, April 19th.
The day is part of the nationwide “Great American Cleanup” beautification campaign.
According to CalTrans it costs California taxpayers millions for cleanup and disposal of trash along roadsides each year. Caltrans alone spent more than $50 million last fiscal year for litter removal on State highways.
During last year’s one-day statewide event, Caltrans collected and disposed of 2,533 cubic yards of trash, which is equivalent to 17,731 33-gallon bags filling about 158 garbage truckloads!
“It’s not only unsightly,” said District 2 Director John Bulinski, “It can jeopardize the safety of motorists and our highway workers tasked to clean it.”
Caltrans encourages the public to do their part in helping to keep California beautiful. One of the best ways to help is to become an Adopt-A-Highway volunteer.
For more information on Adopt-A-Highway visit caltrans2.info. To find an available adoption site, contact Saedra Wederbrook, Adopt-A-Highway Coordinator, at 530-225-3277 or visit the newly developed map showing current adoptable locations at: http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist2/AAH_map/index.html.
Last year, District 2 maintenance crews, along with the help of Adopt-A-Highway volunteers, cleaned approximately 4,000 lane miles of roadway within the seven counties of Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama and Trinity at a cost of approximately $250,000.
We can all make a difference and help keep California beautiful:
Carry a trash bag in your vehicle and dispose of it properly. When hauling items in an open trailer or truck bed make sure to cover it and securely tie it down. The number one trash item found along highways; cigarette butts.
In California, it is a misdemeanor to throw anything from a moving vehicle. Fines range up to $1,000 and 24 hours of community service. Adopt-A-Highway efforts save California taxpayers more than $15 million each year.
Caltrans would also like to remind the traveling public to please move over or slow down when they see Caltrans vehicles flashing warning lights along the side of the highways, and to Slow for the Cone Zone.
For more information you can click here to visit the CalTrans District 2 website.
