Iowa roadside trash patrols dwindling

Fewer people are adopting Iowa's roadsides, officials say, which is contributing to higher trash removal costs for the Iowa Department of Transportation.

The DOT's litter removal costs have risen 53 percent in the past six years from $485,732 in fiscal 2005 to $743,606 in fiscal 2011. The increase is due in part to a decreasing number of people signing up for Adopt-a-Highway, said Bob Younie, DOT state maintenance engineer.

Volunteers are less interested in adopting rural stretches of roadside than they were when the program started in 1989, said Jerome Steward, DOT maintenance management assistant for the 12-county district that includes Linn and Johnson counties.

“The metro areas are still pretty well covered, but once you get farther out it's not as convenient,” Steward said.

Another factor is the age of some volunteers. Walking several miles of uneven terrain and stooping to pick up trash is hard work for seniors. Steward has relocated a couple of groups to flatter areas, but other groups have stopped volunteering.

District 6 has 261 Adopt-a-Highway volunteer groups, which is down about 15 from last year, Steward said.

Statewide, about 1,200 groups collected 512 cubic yards of trash in fiscal 2011 and kept 32 percent of Iowa's roadsides clean. While the DOT does not have statewide numbers showing how the number of volunteers has changed over the years, the loss of groups in all six districts has been significant, Younie said.

“You really notice it when you go out and walk the roadsides, like I do,” he said. “There's just so much stuff out there you can't even imagine.”

District 6, which includes Linn, Johnson, Jackson, Benton, Jones, Clinton, Scott, Cedar, Iowa, Buchanan, Dubuque, and Delaware counties, has volunteer groups ranging from Boy Scout troops, sororities and veterans clubs to baristas, dog trainers and Jimmy Buffett fans.

“It's amazing what we've been finding in the ditches,” said Karen Sweet, a Cedar Rapids paralegal and member of the Chrome Divas of Cedar Rapids.

The female motorcycle enthusiasts adopted a one-mile stretch of Interstate 380 in 2010. Among the jetsam they've found are fast food bags, cigarette butts, tires, money, a patio umbrella and things not fit to mention in a family newspaper. She's glad she's never found a “trucker bomb,” which is a bottle of urine from a driver who didn't want to stop to pee.

The longest-serving Adopt-a-Highway group in this district is the Kiwanis Club of Maquoketa, which has been tidying a three-mile patch of U.S. Highway 61 for 22 years.

“We normally do it with our kids to teach them responsibility,” said Kiwanis Club President Karen Breitbach, who has five children ages 12 to 25. The club has struggled in recent years to recruit people for the semiannual cleanups because of hectic schedules and other volunteer activities, she said.

Alice Martin and Meg Bolich, whose Adopt-a-Highway sign simply says “Meg & Alice”, specifically chose a rural stretch of U.S. Highway 67 in Scott County.

“We chose it because it's a beautiful stretch of road along the Mississippi,” said Martin, of Bettendorf. “We are just thankful we can do it.”

State leaders are trying to boost the number of Adopt-a-Highway volunteers and encourage more frequent trash removal.

Next month, the DOT and city of Cedar Rapids will install 16 new, larger Adopt-a-Highway signs along I_380 through Cedar Rapids. Many sponsor groups, including businesses and civic organizations, regard the signs as advertising.

The state is also working on a web-based system that would provide online reminders of the semiannual cleanups, Steward said.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad will declare April Keep Iowa Beautiful Month Tuesday at a news conference in Des Moines.

Want to adopt a highway?

Iowa's Adopt-a-Highway program, created in 1989, allows individuals or groups to choose sections of public roadsides to clean and beautify.

• WHAT: Volunteers are required to collect trash from the roadsides, but they can also plant and/or maintain trees, shrubs, wildflowers or native grasses. Volunteers may also control noxious weeds with Iowa Department of Transportation-approved methods. The DOT provides garbage bags and requires safety vests.
• WHO: No political candidates, elected officials or sponsors “who may have an adverse effect” on the program are allowed. Volunteers under age 14 must have adult supervision.
• WHERE: Volunteers adopt a two-mile stretch of roadside in most cases, but smaller sections are assigned in some areas. For safety, volunteers may not clean medians and are asked to stay 10 feet away from the pavement.
• WHEN: Volunteers are required to collect trash at least twice a year, usually in the spring and fall. The DOT asks volunteers to schedule their cleanups so DOT workers can pick up the full trash bags.
• WHY: Cleaning up roadsides makes them look better, but it can also help the environment and create habitat for birds.
• HOW: To find an available highway, call the Cedar Rapids DOT office at (800) 262-5144. You can also go to:  www.iowadot.gov/maintenance/adopt_a_highway.htm

Adopt-A-Highway Sponsors District 6