PHOENIX – Volunteers with the Arizona Department of Transportation’s Adopt a Highway program contributed nearly 18,000 hours of labor last year to keep Arizona highways clean, state transportation officials said.

Their work collecting 10,400 bags of litter saved taxpayers $538,000, according to ADOT.

Representing 871 volunteer groups that have adopted state highway miles, 7,686 people participated in Adopt a Highway cleanups last year, mainly outside of Arizona’s metropolitan areas. 

Groups agree to pick up litter in an adopted stretch at least once a year. They coordinate with ADOT to arrange for safety vests, litter bags and training for pickup events and then report the results, officials said.

Each adopted stretch has a recognition sign bearing the Adopt a Highway group’s name.

For more: azdot.gov/AdoptAHighway.