Highway clean-up to help keep Wyoming beautiful
by Wyoming Department of Transportation
June 3, 2018
Volunteer groups and other civic-minded people will be out this month cleaning areas near the state’s interstates and highways as a way to help keep Wyoming beautiful.
As part of the annual Spring Clean Fling, about 900 Adopt-A-Highway volunteers have either already started or will start cleaning their sections of road. Wyoming’s Adopt-A-Highway program is now in its 29th year.
"WYDOT values and appreciates the efforts of the Adopt-A-Highway volunteer groups," state Maintenance Engineer Kent Ketterling said. "The commitment and dedication shown by these groups to keep the roadsides around their communities clean is a testament to the quality of citizens we have in our great state."
Adopt-A-Highway members are encouraged to get out as weather permits this month and in June to make the first of their two required cleanups for the year.
"Our litter control budget is about $2.5 million a year," said WYDOT Director Bill Panos. "Without our volunteers, our litter control budget would be significantly higher. Our volunteers help keep Wyoming beautiful, and we are grateful for the pride they have for Wyoming."
WYDOT supplies the orange safety vests and trash bags to the volunteers for each cleanup. Volunteers should contact their local WYDOT offices to arrange to pick up the vests and bags.
"Volunteers should always make their own personal safety their top priority," Ketterling said. "Volunteers are required by law to always wear their orange vests since they are working near traffic."
In the past, volunteers have removed about 50 tons of litter from the highways. Their work means Wyoming can remain beautiful for the people and visitors to the state.
The Adopt-A-Highway volunteers include members of fraternal, civic and social clubs, employee and professional organizations, churches, governmental agencies, families and retirees.
When a group adopts a highway, WYDOT places a sign designating that section of road as that particular group’s.
WYDOT officials asks volunteers to be on the lookout for dangerous objects such as broken glass, needles, sharp metal objects and exposed nails when picking up trash. Volunteers should carefully put those next to their bagged garbage for pickup.
Volunteers also should not pick up abandoned containers with unknown substances because they could be dangerous. Instead, volunteers should tell WYDOT about it.
Anyone interested in adopting a highway section can contact a district coordinator at:
• (307) 745 2100, for Laramie, Albany and Carbon counties;
• (307) 473-3200, for Natrona, Converse, Platte, Niobrara, Goshen, northern Carbon and southern Johnson counties;
• (307) 352-3050, for Sweetwater, Uinta, Lincoln, Sublette and western Teton counties;
• (
307) 674-2300, for Sheridan, Campbell, Crook, Weston, northern Johnson and northern Niobrara counties; and
• (307) 568-3400, for Park, Fremont, Hot Springs, Washakie, Big Horn and eastern Teton counties.
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