The N.C. Department of Transportation is encouraging volunteers age 12 and older to participate in the spring Litter Sweep, which will be held Saturday, April 18, through Saturday, May 2. NCDOT maintenance crews, Adopt-A-Highway groups, N.C. Department of Correction inmate crews, community service workers and other volunteers will take to the highways to remove roadside litter.

“Litter Sweep helps raise awareness about the importance of maintaining safe and litter-free highways,” said Transportation Secretary Gene Conti. “This bi-annual event is part of an overall effort to promote anti-litter practices and is not limited to volunteers removing roadside litter. Everyone using the roadway can do their part by securing their loads and disposing of their trash appropriately.”

The NCDOT Office of Beautification Programs coordinates the bi-annual event. Children between the ages of 12 and 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Interested participants are asked to contact their local NCDOT county maintenance office to obtain cleanup supplies.

Volunteers are required to watch a safety video and wear safety gear. Participants are reminded to warm up by stretching before picking up litter and to drink plenty of water during the cleanup.

In 2008, volunteers from Adopt-A-Highway groups, garden clubs, civic groups and other community organizations removed more than 4.4 million pounds of roadside litter during the spring and fall Litter Sweeps.

During the two-week event, the N.C. State Highway Patrol will be on alert and policing the roadways for litterbugs and motorists traveling with unsecured loads. Littering is an illegal, fineable offense. Upon conviction, a person could face community service work, a point on their driver license and a monetary fine. Fines can be as much as $2,000 and can double upon a second conviction. 

A fall event is scheduled for the last two weeks of September. For more information about NCDOT’s Litter Sweep, call 1-800-331-5864 or visit the Office of Beautification Programs Web site at http://www.ncdot.gov/~beautification and click on “Litter Sweep.”

As part of its litter reduction and beautification program, the Town of Cary is also holding a Spring Litter Sweep on Saturday, May 9 from 9 a.m. until noon.   On the day of the event, participants (ages 12 and older) should meet at the Garmon Operations Center, 400 James Jackson Ave.  Pre-registration is required by May 4, 2009, by calling 469-4301 or emailing heather.morell@townofcary.org.   In case of rain, Cary's Sweep will be held on Saturday, May 16 from 9 a.m. until noon.