Adopt-a-Highway Cleanup Groups Can't Keep Pace with Texas Trash.

Business Editors & Environmental Writers

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 9, 2000

Today is International Adopt-a-Highway Day around the world, but there's not a lot to cheer about Texas.

Times are tough for the cleanup groups who are having trouble keeping pace with the volume of trash tossed on our Texas roadsides.

"Today, we need to be thankful for the Adopt-a-Highway volunteers who are picking up our littered highways," said Doris Howdeshell, Travel Division Director at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). "A growing Texas population means more cars and consequently more litter on our roads."

Not only do Adopt-a-Highway volunteers pick up trash at least four times a year, but they provide manpower for the upcoming statewide cleanup on April 1 -- the "Don't Mess with Texas Trash-Off."

Adopt-a-Highway Groups Hit Plateau 

According to Howdeshell, the number of groups adopting highways in Texas has hit a plateau and the state's 4,040 volunteer groups are struggling to clean a mere 10 percent of Texas highways.

"State tax dollars that would otherwise repair or beautify our roads are paying for the cost of litter pickup," said Howdeshell. "Contrary to common perception, the majority of highway trash -- about 90 percent -- is removed by paid contractors, not probationers or TxDOT crews. Adopt-a-Highway volunteers pick up the second largest percentage of trash in this state, but that 10 percent will probably slip unless we recruit more groups and prevent more people from littering."

According to Howdeshell, cleanup volunteers are faced with many factors that are making it difficult to keep Texas beautiful. First, an additional 3.5 million people are living in Texas since the campaign began in 1986. Second, TxDOT has added more miles to their system over the years, bringing the total to 79,000 miles of road to keep clean. Not only are there more roads, but Texans are logging an estimated 410 million miles every day on state-maintained highways. That's about a 50 percent increase over the daily miles logged back in the mid-'80s.

Finding Highways To Adopt Online

To connect more volunteers to the Adopt-a-Highway program in Texas and around the globe, TxDOT has taken Adopt-a-Highway to the information highway by linking volunteers with similar programs around the world at www.adoptahighwaynetwork.com.

"We're proud that the first highway ever adopted by volunteers was in Texas, and now we're extending that pioneering spirit to the Internet where we hope to connect volunteers from all over the world to Adopt-a-Highway programs in their own backyards," said Howdeshell.

Today almost 90,000 Adopt-a-Highway groups in 49 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Japan have adopted more than 213,000 miles of highway around the globe. Representatives from Great Britain and South Africa have visited Texas to learn more about starting and maintaining an Adopt-a-Highway program.

"In addition to instilling pride in the community, the Adopt-a-Highway program reduces litter cleanup costs and thereby saves taxpayers money," said Howdeshell, adding that Adopt-a-Highway, Don't Mess with Texas, and Keep Texas Beautiful programs are credited with saving the state between $2 million and $4 million annually in litter removal expenditures.

People interested in adopting a highway can call their local TxDOT office. For more information about the Don't Mess with Texas Trash-Off on April 1, call 1-800-CLEAN-TX or visit www.dontmesswithtexas.org.