Year’s first Adopt-A-Highway pickup starts Saturday, April 5

Fast facts:
• The first Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Adopt-A-Highway pickup of the year is April 5-13 for the Lower Peninsula.
• The first pickup for the Upper Peninsula will be from May 10 to 18. 
• Sections of highway are still available to adopt. Go to www.Michigan.gov/AdoptAHighway for more information.

LANSING, Mich. - It’s a spring event as predictable as the return of the robins: volunteers will hit the roadsides across lower Michigan beginning Saturday as Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Adopt-A-Highway (AAH) groups pick up litter on state highways from April 5-13.

The year’s first AAH pickup for the Upper Peninsula will be later (May 10-18) when spring has had more time to set in for the northern part of the state.

"Each year, our Adopt-A-Highway volunteers show their dedication to their communities by keeping the roadsides clean," said State Transportation Director Bradley C. Wieferich. "These thousands of groups make a huge difference every year. Please help them stay safe while they’re out there. Stay alert for the volunteers and drive cautiously during the pickup periods."

The AAH program began in Michigan in 1990. Today, 35 years later, around 2,600 groups have adopted more than 6,000 miles of state highway. Last year alone, these volunteers collected 36,000 bags of trash.

Volunteers pick up litter three times each year. Statewide, there will be a summer pickup from July 12 to 20 and a fall pickup from Sept. 20 to 28.

AAH groups wear high-visibility, yellow-green safety vests required by federal regulations when working within a highway right of way. MDOT provides free vests and trash bags, and arranges to haul away the trash. Volunteers include members of various civic groups, businesses and families. Crew members have to be at least 12 years old, and each group must number at least three people. 

Sections of highway are still available for adoption. Groups are asked to adopt a section for at least two years. AAH signs bearing a group's name are posted along the stretch of adopted highway. There is no fee to participate. Go to www.Michigan.gov/AdoptAHighway for more information.

Several landfills in southwestern Michigan do their part to help the AAH program. Westside Landfill in St. Joseph County, C&C Landfill in Calhoun County, Orchard Hill Landfill in Berrien County, Southeast Berrien County Landfill near Niles, and Republic Services Gembrit Circle Transfer Station in Kalamazoo have all agreed to accept trash generated by the three annual AAH pickups at no charge. In exchange, these businesses receive a sign recognizing their support.