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Albemarle County roadside cleanup program targets 300 miles of county roads

Chris Graham
road litter
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The new Roadway Litter Collection Program in Albemarle County resulted in 1,564 bags of litter being picked up along 300 miles of roads in the county in December.

What possesses people to throw trash along roadways is anybody’s guess.

I don’t want this in my car; let the world deal with it.

“We are meeting a critical need and making a tangible impact, collecting over 1,500 bags of litter in the first cleanup alone, to keep Albemarle’s roadways clean and protect the environment,” said Jeff Dumars, the county’s interim director of facilities and environmental services.

Funding for the program is coming from the county’s Disposable Plastic Bag Tax, a five-cent levy that went into effect in the Albemarle County and the City of Charlottesville on Jan. 1, 2023.

The focus with the December cleanup was on addressing litter at a time of year when most litter collection efforts pause, and litter buildup along local roadways tends to increase.

Areas with the most litter included North Milton Road, U.S. 250 from Stony Point Road to I-64, Peter Jefferson Parkway, and U.S. 29 from Polo Grounds to Airport Road.

The next scheduled cleanup will take place in March, targeting another 300 miles of roadway.

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham, the king of "fringe media," a zero-time Virginia Sportswriter of the Year, and a member of zero Halls of Fame, is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].