How to Adopt a Highway in Arizona

The Arizona Adopt-A-Highway Program was founded in 1988, with 120 groups volunteering to clean segments of highway. By 2005 more than 1700 groups, representing 12,285 people, have adopted 3,100 miles of Arizona highway. Form your own group and join in the efforts to pick up litter along the highways of the Grand Canyon State. Do your part to keep Arizona clean and help save over a million dollars in taxpayers' money.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Permit form
• Safety equipment
• Volunteers
• Litter disposal bags
• Special Event waiver

1. Form a group of 6 to 10 people. The Arizona Department of Transportation requires at least six people to ensure that clean-up work is done efficiently.
2. Talk to your group members to make sure they are in for the long haul. When you adopt a highway in Arizona you are committing to two years of picking up litter, generally twice per year.
3. Contact your district's Adopt-A-Highway contact to obtain the permit form and to find out which segments of highway are available and safe to adopt. Send your district contact the completed and signed permit form and wait for approval.
4. Designate a group coordinator. This person will attend the required safety training hosted by the Arizona Department of Transportation.
5. Hold a safety briefing for all group members before each clean-up session. Safety briefing materials are available through your district contact.
6. Notify your district contact of the date and time of each clean-up session.
7. Sign a Special Event waiver before each scheduled clean up. All group members must sign a waiver before beginning work picking up litter.
8. Fill out an Activity Report after each clean-up session. This online form details the number of hours worked, the number of people who did the work and the number of trash bags collected. Your district contact will provide you with the Web site and login information for the Activity Report.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want to help out but don't have the time, be a part of Arizona's Adopt a Highway Sponsor Program and pay a maintenance provider to remove litter.
• Never pick up hazardous material.