The results are in! 

ADOT is proud to reveal the artwork submitted by participants of the Keep it Grand Art Challenge. Check out the artwork in this Flickr album. 

Kids of all ages were challenged to grab their art supplies and color, doodle or paint the Keep it Grand logo. We asked for colorful images as a reminder of roadside beauty. 

Colorful sun rays, desert wildlife and a super-spiny saguaro are some of the elements that caught our attention. Patriotic colors of the United States flag and the red and gold rays of the Arizona state flag  portray great pride in our southwestern landscape and what a litter-free Arizona means to these young artists. Way to go!

This challenge is a great reminder to stash trash during outdoor activities, until it can be properly disposed of in a trash receptacle. 

We appreciate the comments received from a couple of our artists, too. Here’s what they had to say about roadside litter. 

Aleah, a 14-year-old from El Mirage, said, “The problem with roadside litter is that it has numerous impacts on everything. Litter creates filthy landscape views due to litter disposed incorrectly. Litter also creates hazardous conditions to the wildlife, ranging from eating trash that may hurt or kill wildlife to litter left that is hot (cigarettes, abandoned cars) that may create a fire and devastate the area of plant and animal life.” 

Thank you for your response, Aleah. We hope that all travelers consider your wise observations. 

Five-year-old Reilly from Phoenix, got right to the point: “Trash on the road makes it look ugly. We should put it in the trash.” 

We couldn’t agree more, Reilly.

Artists received a printable certificate of appreciation for their entries, like the feature image shown above. Please visit the ADOT Kids website at azdot.gov/adotkids for more fun and educational activities and videos!

When Lucinda Ramirez’ husband, Fred, unexpectedly passed away 20 years ago, their family decided to get involved with ADOT’s Adopt a Highway program in his memory. Fred Ramirez had worked 10 years as a highway and bridge inspector for ADOT, and this program provided the perfect opportunity to remember him while keeping the landscape he loved beautiful.

Ramirez worked for ADOT from 1989 to 1999, and during that time frame he was featured twice on the cover of Newsbeat, ADOT’s biweekly employee newsletter. “Years ago,” Ramirez recalled, “he gave a tour of one of his ADOT projects to our oldest son's Cub Scout group.” Ramirez’ son took an interest in engineering and is currently a civil engineer working for the city of Phoenix.

The family has maintained State Route 87, aka Beeline Highway, between mileposts 192-193 for two decades. Ramirez said, “We get many appreciative honks from passing motorists and thanks from cyclists passing by as we do the pickup. We have come across some unusual discards during our cleanups, including hot water heaters and Christmas trees. A huge pile of shrimp tails probably wins, as it was also incredibly smelly.” 

The family gets out twice a year for their cleanups and recently filled 10 large trash bags with unfortunate finds while on site. Participants number anywhere between 10-20 or more, and it is not unusual for family to travel from Tucson or as far away as the East Coast to join the fun. After the pickup is complete, they take a group photo and head home for a big breakfast. Someone is designated to stay back at the house to watch the kids and put casseroles in the oven. 

Ramirez told me that years ago a friend had provided the volunteers with tie-dyed shirts to look colorful during highway cleanups. Two of the volunteers moved to Tennessee and now don their tie-dyed shirts while picking up trash on a public hiking trail and finishing with their own photo. Ramirez said, “When our family looks back on our trash pickup gatherings, they are equal in status to the memories of holiday and birthday celebrations. Many of the people that join us on the pickups never knew Fred. They come to support our family and to have fun.”

A few years ago, Ramirez, a fourth grade teacher, was returning from a field trip with her class by way of SR 87. “Before reaching our mile, I told them to keep an eye out for our family’s sign. When we passed the sign, the bus driver honked the horn and all the students cheered. They asked questions and wanted to know how to get involved. We talked about things they could do now to help their community –they were too young then to pick up on the highway. I hope it planted a seed and that they will think twice before littering,” Ramirez said.

In closing, the Ramirez family is very grateful for the opportunity to serve the community and remember a man that dearly loved the Arizona landscape. If you are traveling northbound on SR 87 toward Payson watch for Fred’s sign at milepost 192, “In loving memory of Fred Ramirez.”

ADOT thanks Lucinda Ramirez for sharing her story and some fantastic photos we’ve shared in the included flickr album. Congratulations to the Ramirez family for 20 years of Adopt a Highway Volunteer service and many happy memories! 

Ramirez also joined us during a recent Earth Day and Arizona Volunteer Week Cleanup event at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Click here for information about the Adopt a Highway Volunteer Program. A great place to start your own family tradition. 

Welcome one and all! Whether you are an existing Adopt a Highway volunteer group or want to pitch-in for one day. This year National CleanUp Day is Saturday, Sept. 16—only seven weeks away. The day is set aside for civic-minded individuals and organizations to unite for the purpose of reducing litter in their communities along state highways.

Now is the time to gather volunteers and plan your cleanup. A registration notification and link will be sent in the coming weeks for new and existing volunteer groups to register with ADOT. 

We ask all groups to report litter bag collection totals within three days of the event. The data is then used to measure and track the amount of litter removed from Arizona’s highways. In 2022, more than 215 Adopt a Highway volunteers collected 2.3 tons of litter in one day. The second largest haul of litter in our five-year history of National CleanUp Day participation.

The Adopt a Highway team plans to visit as many volunteer groups as logistics allow. If your clean up is along our route, we will contact you before Sept. 16 to coordinate details. 

Thank you for considering National CleanUp Day as an opportunity to volunteer and help reduce litter along state highways. 

Arizona, Keep It Grand!

People litter when they throw their garbage somewhere instead of putting it in a trash can. Sometimes people litter when they don’t care about the place where they’re throwing their trash, or when they think someone else will come and clean up after them. 

Not only is litter unsightly to see on the ground, along our highways or in waterways, but this type of pollution hurts people and the planet in multiple ways. 

Litter costs money to clean up, it can hurt humans and wildlife, and it also harms the environment as the chemicals in plastic break down and enter the soil or the water. Litter can wind up in storm drains that could then cause flooding on the roads.

Litter is a problem that can be controlled and YOU CAN HELP make a difference! 

How can you help? Never let trash escape from your car. Keep it contained in a bag inside of your vehicle. Find a proper trash container to throw it in, or recycle it if you can. (Did you know that most of the aluminum cans in the United States are made with recycled aluminum?)

Don’t throw apple cores, banana peels or other food parts out the window. Not only is it ugly, but animals can be attracted to the scent and can cause a crash if they cross the road.

Help us by doing  your part to keep Arizona Grand!

Download and print a fun scrambled word sheet to find types of litter found on Arizona roads. Visit the ADOT Kids website at azdot.gov/ADOTKids for activities and videos about freeways … and more!