Be
mindful of the many
volunteers who will be
making our roadways
cleaner and greener.
Give them plenty of room
or organize a group in
your neighborhood and
give them a helping hand.
Respect the orange.
They are working to make
your life (and your
state) more beautiful.
WATCH
OUT FOR ORANGE-VESTED
ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY
VOLUNTEERS
Many will participate
in statewide litter
pickup April 12
RICHMOND – Spring
brings out
orange-breasted robins
picking at bugs and worms
in our yards and
orange-vested
Adopt-a-Highway
volunteers picking up
litter along Virginia
roadsides.
Weather permitting, on
Saturday, April 12,
you’ll see more
volunteers than usual as
they clean litter from
their adopted roadsides
during the annual
statewide spring cleanup
day.
To help ensure the
volunteers’ safety,
motorists should look out
for large orange “Cleanup
Crew Working” signs and
drive cautiously as they
pass volunteers wearing
bright orange vests and
carrying bright orange
bags.
The Virginia
Department of
Transportation’s (VDOT’s)
Adopt-a-Highway program
involves volunteers in
nearly 11,000 groups, who
agree to clean up their
adopted stretch of road
at least four times a
year for two years.
Participants are
particularly encouraged
to carry out one of their
four pickups during the
annual spring event to
spruce up the
commonwealth for Historic
Garden Week (April 19-27
this year).
About 20,000 miles, or
more than one quarter of
Virginia’s state roads,
have been adopted by
volunteers, who annually
provide the equivalent of
approximately $3 million
in litter control
services to the
commonwealth.
The Adopt-a-Highway
program started in Texas
in 1985 and has helped
generate related programs
such as Adopt-a-Spot,
Adopt-a-Street,
Adopt-a-Stream and
Assign-a-Highway.
VDOT’s Adopt-a-Highway
program began 20 years
ago, and it is one of the
largest in the country.
For more information,
go to the
