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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.

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. 

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. 

PHOENIX – Last year, the Arizona Department of Transportation along with its maintenance contractors picked up 118,578 bags of trash along freeways in Maricopa County, which translates to approximately 811 tons. This continues an upward trend in the amount of litter accumulation along Valley freeways since 2017.

During the past five years, litter has steadily increased along state freeways in Maricopa County. In 2017, ADOT picked up 80,442 bags of litter compared to the nearly 119,000 bags last year. That’s a 47% increase.

ADOT crews collected 800 tons of litter in 2021 along Maricopa County freeways. That’s a lot of litter and also a 47% increase in the amount of litter picked up in 2017.

TUCSON - As part of ongoing efforts to keep highways clean, the Arizona Department of Transportation is devoting significant resources this week into removing litter from Interstates 10 and 19 in the Tucson area.

PHOENIX –  In the past two years since the Arizona Department of Transportation started the Incident Response Unit sponsored by State Farm, pickup of litter and dangerous roadway debris has been far faster and more efficient than before. 

Arizona Department of Transportation volunteers answered the call to participate on National CleanUp Day, Sept. 18, by removing more than 150 bags, or 2,053 pounds of trash from alongside Arizona’s highways. 

Forty groups from all corners of the state: Page, Yuma, Concho, Vernon, Show Low, Prescott, Chino Valley, Congress, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, Tucson, Bouse, Claypool, Sahuarita and Bullhead City, registered with ADOT for the event on the Adopt a Highway website. 

TUCSON - In an unprecedented push to remove roadside garbage and debris, 42 Arizona Department of Transportation employees from southern Arizona were recently able to pick up 11,000 pounds of trash and bulk items.

Why is it a big deal? Because highway maintenance dollars saved, to the tune of $235,000, means that taxpayer funds can be used for other Arizona Department of Transportation priorities. More important is the determination of volunteers to Keep It Grand by making Arizona’s highways more appealing for all.

That makes those who commit time and effort to ADOT’s Adopt a Highway program worthy of a big thank you from all Arizonans during National Volunteer Week, which runs through April 24.