VDOT partners with Keep Virginia Beautiful to promote Adopt-A-Highway program

VDOT recently partnered with Keep Virginia Beautiful to help support the agency’s Adopt-A-Highway program. The agreement calls for Keep Virginia Beautiful to focus on engaging volunteers to participate in the program, which is aimed at beautifying roads throughout the commonwealth and preventing litter.

Keep Virginia Beautiful will promote the Adopt-A-Highway program through its website, social media platforms and public relations channels as well as the organization’s many external partners. In addition to boosting the volunteer recruitment process, Keep Virginia Beautiful will educate the general public on the need, impact and benefits of an effective Adopt-A-Highway program.

 

VDOT joins forces with Keep Virginia Beautiful

Adopt-A-Highway has involved numerous groups since it was first established in Virginia in 1988. It provides an opportunity for businesses, civic groups and even families to clean up litter and be recognized for their efforts with a sign featuring their name after two pickups have been documented. VDOT is confident that the partnership with Keep Virginia Beautiful will produce measurable results in the number of miles covered with regular litter cleanups and the recycling of collected waste, which will in turn translate into overall savings for the commonwealth.

“We are pleased with this joint initiative between VDOT and Keep Virginia Beautiful, which will ensure that our Adopt-A-Highway program continues to provide Virginians with clean roads as they travel throughout the commonwealth,” said VDOT Commissioner Charles Kilpatrick.

“Our goal is to raise awareness of the impact litter has on our environment and that it’s up to us to change our behavior and make a difference,” said Mike Baum, Executive Director of Keep Virginia Beautiful.

 

Background

VDOT setup the Adopt-A-Highway program in 1988. Each year, nearly 18,000 Adopt-A-Highway volunteers collect more than 25,000 bags of waste along Virginia’s highways. It is estimated that these efforts save the commonwealth over $1.35 million that would have otherwise gone to clean up Virginia’s roads. Groups agree to adopt a two mile stretch of highway in their community by picking up litter and recyclables at least twice a year for three years. In return, VDOT provides trash bags, vests, important safety information and highway signs that recognize the individual or group.

For more information, please visit: virginiadot.org/programs/prog-aah-default.asp.

Established in 1953, the mission of Keep Virginia Beautiful is to “engage and unite Virginians to enhance our natural and scenic environment” through five focus areas: litter prevention, waste reduction, recycling, beautification and environmental education.

For more information, please visit: keepvirginiabeautiful.org.