EDWARDSVILLE – The Edwardsville Police Department is seeking organizations willing to volunteer for the City’s long-running Adopt-A-Highway program, a public service campaign to help keep area roadsides clean.
The City has 13 routes of approximately a mile each that are in the Adopt-A-Highway program. The program is governed by an Illinois law that allows adoption of only those sections of road that are deemed safe for public litter pickup. Several of the City’s routes have been adopted, but Officer Jason Hunter, who oversees the program for Edwardsville, said at least five routes remain available.
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Any group that wants to do volunteer work is eligible, but all individuals must be at least 18 to participate. Over the years, the effort has included church groups, college organizations, businesses and nonprofit groups. Hunter said participation dropped off in the years since the coronavirus pandemic, but he’s hoping to revitalize the program.
“This is an effort to keep Edwardsville looking great, and it’s a way for the community to lend a hand and contribute to that effort,” Hunter said. Adopt-A-Highway participants typically clean their assigned roadside route up to four times each year with City-provided collection bags.
Safety vests and gloves must be worn; a limited number of those are available for the program through Edwardsville’s Public Works Department. A group coordinator who has been trained on program do’s and don’ts, safety issues and other procedures also must be present at the time of the cleanup. Public Works crews are responsible for picking up the bags of collected refuse. Groups interested in participating or learning more can fill out an inquiry form. The program coordinator then will get in touch. The inquiry form is available here:
www.cityofedwardsville.com/757/Adopt-A-Highway
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