Milton Manufacturing recently became an “adopted parent”– to a stretch of land on I-75. Recently, we joined the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Adopt-A-Highway program, and we have agreed to “beautify” the roadside of I-75 in Detroit, south of East Seven Mile Road to just past Mile Marker 57 (just north of East Six Mile Road).
Milton Manufacturing President Jim Green said, “It’s part of our commitment to our neighborhood. It is a continuation of our efforts to be good corporate citizens and maintain our neighborhood.”
The Adopt-A-Highway program is designed to keep the state’s highway roadsides clean and attractive. Since 1990, Michigan Adopt-A-Highway groups have collected more than a million bags of trash. Furthermore, according to MDOT, currently there are 2,800 groups participating and more than 6,400 miles of Michigan highways, boulevards, and business routes have been adopted. In most cases, each group commits to a minimum of two years to remove litter from agreed-upon roadside areas.
The goal of the program, as stated by MDOT, is to clean the roadsides before mowing cycles and tourism periods (April through October). MDOT supplies the volunteers with safety vests, pick-up tools, and litter bags. The pickup dates and times are designated by MDOT, which also removes the filled litter bags. In 2012, the three designated pickup periods will occur in the spring during April 14-22; in summer, July 14-22; and in the fall, September 22-30. All volunteers are required to attend a safety meeting before each pick-up.
Litter has a devastating impact on tourism, real estate values, economic development, and health and safety. In the mid-1990s, volunteers in the Adopt-A-Highway program for the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) conducted a study and determined that these items made up the bulk of the litter on their roads: fast-food waste at 33 percent, paper at 29 percent, aluminum at 28 percent, glass at 6 percent, and plastic at 2 percent.
Over the past 60 years, many states have launched litter reduction campaigns. For example, in the 1950s, the “Don’t be a Litterbug” campaign surfaced, followed by similar efforts, such as the “Keep America Beautiful” campaign, and other litter removal and recycling efforts, including the Adopt-A-Highway program.
In your travels along I-75 south of East Seven Mile Road, honk when you pass the Milton Manufacturing Adopt-A-Highway sign so we’ll hear you when you go by.
