WSDOT Crews Collect Litter on Earth Day

In honor of Earth Day, employees and maintenance crews with the Washington State Department of Transportation spent a week picking up trash along highways across Clark County, the southernmost county in Washington State.

[Above photo by WSDOT]

Along several stretches of I-5, I-205, State Route 14, SR 500 and SR 503, some 49 members of WSDOT staff joined agency maintenance crews and volunteers from agency partners to remove food wrappers, cigarette butts, bottles, cans, and other types of litter; removing 3,410 pounds of trash.

“This effort is one way we can help take care of our state, protect the environment and keep roads clear for travelers,” said Denise Perez, a WSDOT lab testing technician, in a statement. “Keeping our highways clean is a shared responsibility … and we encourage the public to do their part everyday by keeping trash off the roads in the first place.”

WSDOT noted that it does not have dedicated litter crews. During routine maintenance work such as guardrail repairs, drainage clearing, and pothole patching, the agency said its crews also remove debris from the roadside.

Because litter can create safety issues, WSDOT said its crews prioritize work that keeps roads open and safe, focusing first on larger hazards like furniture or bags of garbage from unsecured loads or illegal dumping. It also relies on volunteers and programs like Adopt-A-Highway to help keep roads clean, the agency said.