Community Involvement with the Adopt-A-Highway Program

Since 1989, Adopt A Highway Litter Removal Service of America, Inc. (AAHLRSA) has cleaned over 1,000,000 miles of U.S. highways & Interstates!  Comprised of sponsorships and volunteers, community groups gather periodically to clean up, and green up their stretch of "adopted" highway.  The program operates across the US, and each state has their own Adopt-A-Highway (AAH) program for volunteers to sign up and participate.

Here in Michigan, it is the time of year when winter has finally released its snowy frigid grip on the state, and it is time to get out and care for your "adopted" roads!  Drive with caution and be on alert for volunteer cleanup teams wearing high-visibility, yellow-green safety vests as they help to keep our roadsides clean and attractive. Statewide in Michigan crews pick up litter three times a year, including a Spring cleanup in April & May, the Summer pickup in July, and a fall pickup in September.

Dedicated AAH volunteers collect about 65,000 bags of trash every year, with an estimated $5 million value for the state.  The Michigan Department of Transpiration (MDOT) provides free vests and trash bags, and arranges to haul away the trash. The AAH enters its 29th year, and there are 2,887 groups currently active in the program, and they've collected more than 2 million bags of litter the state's roadsides since 1990. Currently, 6,400 miles of highway are adopted. Sections of highway are still available for adoption. 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. Groups are asked to adopt a section for at least two years. Adopt-A-Highway signs bearing a group's name are posted along the stretch of adopted highway. There is no fee to participate. So, organize your group and get outside and help your community.

Through our partnership with Grand Traverse Industries (GTI), Plascon provides the machinery and materials for GTI to convert film rolls to trash bags which are then supplied to MDOT to be used in the Adopt-A-Highway program. GTI is a community non-profit organization that provides employment and training support to people with developmental and learning disabilities. Together with GTI, Plascon looks for environmentally friendly alternatives such as biodegradable trash bags while giving back to our local community right here in Traverse City, Michigan.

To learn more about Plascon's biodegradable film, bags, and liners, click the link and contact us today!