NYSDOT Hudson Valley Announces Successful 'Trash Blitz 2016'

From New York State Department of Transportation:

New York State Department of Transportation Regional Director Todd Westhuis today announced the successful completion of the Region’s first Trash Blitz on Thursday, April 21 and Friday, April 22 in honor of Earth Day. A total of 5266 bags of litter, along with a significant amount of large debris, were collected from our right-of-way by maintenance forces and employee volunteers on Thursday and Friday last week.

“No one likes to see litter along our roads; it creates an eyesore and mars the Hudson Valley’s natural beauty and habitat,” Regional Director Westhuis said. “If everyone who uses our roads did their part to help keep them clean and safe, the Department of Transportation would no longer need to expend tax-funded resources on litter removal.”

The purpose of the Trash Blitz is to remove litter from numerous state-owned highways in the Hudson Valley and bring awareness to motorists that littering tarnishes the beautiful landscape of the region and threatens both the safety of the roadway and the natural habitat surrounding it. The Trash Blitz was conducted to coincide with Earth Day and encourage motorists to stop littering, because keeping state roadways clean is an important part of protecting our environment and maintaining safety.

Highway debris and litter pose safety, aesthetic, and health concerns for all who live, work, and travel in New York. NYSDOT faces increasingly more difficult and expensive challenges to keep up with removing litter from state roadways. Garbage strewn roadways are not only an unattractive nuisance, they present dangers as well. Litter, particularly plastic bags, can clog drains and cause chemicals to seep into water supplies with highway storm run-off. Trash can also catch fire or block a motorist’s view if caught in the wind. Any discarded containers can become potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes that spread harmful diseases.

NYSDOT devoted extra crews from the Region to remove highway debris and perform litter clean for the Trash Blitz. Following the clean up effort, workers will resume routine maintenance clean-up as resources allow. Motorists are urged to extend the results of this major clean-up by keeping their personal trash inside their own vehicles until they can dispose of it at proper trash receptacles.

Additionally, organizations are encouraged to participate in the Adopt-A-Highway program, which NYSDOT administers through its regional offices. NYSDOT provides the training, gear and collection bags. Participating organizations provide the muscle.

To learn more about Adopt-A-Highway and to get involved, please visit here.

For up-to-date travel information, call 511 or go here.

Follow New York State DOT on Twitter: @NYSDOT. Find us on Facebook.