Litter Removal Off of Arizona's Highways

Do transportation and trash go together?

They certainly do. Every year ADOT spends millions of dollars removing litter from Arizona's 6,671 miles of highway. That adds up to a lot of trash. Over 6000 bags of litter are removed monthly from the Phoenix metro area alone.

Some trash escapes and is expected, but more often it is carelessly discarded from a car window or blows from the back of an open truck. You can help in two ways. First, make sure you discard your personal trash in a trash receptical. Second, encourage your family and friends to do the same. Littering is disrespectful, ugly, and potentially hazardous. If you see someone littering from a vehicle . . .

Call the Litter Hotline

In the Phoenix area, call 602.712.4683. Outside of Phoenix, call toll free at 1.877.354.8837 or complete the litter report form online at:

http://www.arizonacleanandbeautiful.org/Litterreport.html

Adopt a Highway "Volunteers" donate their time to pick up litter off the side of the roadway in the rural parts of the State. Adopt a Highway "Sponsors" pay a contractor to remove litter in the urban areas where more frequent removal is necessary. As available, prison personnel also participate in removing litter along the highways.

In addition to our own sweepers, ADOT contracts sweeper machines to sweep the Phoenix metropolitan freeways on a weekly basis.

Rest area caretakers spend ten percent of their time picking-up litter. The 18 interstate rest areas have 500 trash containers. It requires two hours to clean the cans in each area. Over 13,000 hours per year is spent on keeping the rest areas litter free.

Reasons ADOT is concerned about litter:

Environmental concerns

• Wildlife can be injured
• Plants can be damaged

Safety

• Debris in the road is hazardous
• Litter at rest areas could be a health risk 
• Cigarette butts can cause fires

Socioeconomic concerns 

• Dampens property values
• Depresses tourism
• Invites crime
• It's unsightly

Restore Arizona's beauty and bring pride to our citizens!