Caltrans is hosting its annual statewide Litter Removal and Enforcement Day on Thursday, April 20. This activity is designed to increase public awareness of the volume of roadside garbage and the cost to clean it up.

How can the public help? Don’t trash the roads. Caltrans spent $67.1 million statewide in the last fiscal year to remove litter, tires and old mattresses. That money could have been used to improve the roads and reduce traffic congestion.

In addition to the economic costs, litter poses a wide range of threats to the environment and human health: cigarettes start fires; plastic hurts wildlife; large debris damages roadside plants; chemicals and biohazards endanger human health; and litter clogs roadway drainage systems and leads to flooding, erosion, traffic congestion and accidents.

Caltrans crews and Adopt-A-Highway volunteers will pick up litter in the eight counties within Caltrans District 10: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tuolumne. During last year’s cleanup, District 10 crews filled 1,552 bags of trash.

For the safety of crews who will be picking up litter, remember to Slow for the Cone Zone.

For information on the Adopt-A-Highway Program, visit www.adopt-a-highway.dot.ca.gov or call Kathy Cockayne, District 10 Adopt-A-Highway Coordinator, at (209) 948-7462.