Have you ever been driving along one of our Island roads and been discouraged by the sight of litter on the roadside? Ever wondered what could be done about it? If the answer to those two questions is yes, then an innovative partnership between government and Island communities and groups could be for you.
The Adopt-A-Highway Program is an initiative to help reduce the amount of roadside litter on Island roads. Building upon the success of the Annual Women’s Institute Roadside Cleanup, the Adopt-A-Highway Program engages Island communities, businesses, groups and service clubs to join in that effort.
Speaking in the Provincial Legislature, Transportation and Public Works Minister Gail Shea noted the benefits of participating in the Adopt-A-Highway Program. “The Adopt-A-Highway Program builds upon the success of the annual roadside cleanups done by our Women’s Institute chapters here on Prince Edward Island for so many years that have helped clean our roadsides and raise awareness of litter issues. The Adopt-A-Highway Program is a great way for local sports groups, businesses, churches and service clubs to get active in their communities,” said Shea.
How the program works is that organizations can sign up to “adopt” a five kilometer section of Island highway and commit to doing cleanups at least twice a year, usually during the Spring and Fall. The organization and its volunteers or employees are then provided with litter bags, safety vests and signs from the Department of Transportation and Public Works. Staff from Transportation and Public Works also collect the bags from the roadside once the cleanup is complete. Distinctive road signage is also placed at the start and end of the organization’s cleanup area, acknowledging their hard work and commitment to improving the Island environment.
Since the Adopt-A-Highway Program was launched in 2003, a total of 228 kilometers of Island highway have been adopted by 35 groups, businesses and organizations. On average, about 2,500 bags of roadside litter are collected annually through the program with approximately 14,000 pounds of roadside litter collected to date.
Interested groups can sign up or learn more about the Adopt-A-Highway Program by:
-Going online to www.gov.pe.ca/adoptahighway
-Calling the Adopt-A-Highway Program Office at 1-866-NEATPEI (632-8734)
-Emailing adoptahighway@gov.pe.ca
Shea noted that the Adopt-A-Highway Program has begun another season of cleanups but that it’s never too late for interested Islanders or groups to participate. “I encourage Islanders to get involved in this community-based effort to help keep our Island roadsides clean.”