LITTLE ROCK (11-2) – The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) added new material to the Keep It Clean, Arkansas anti-litter campaign this week with a new educational video available on the Department’s YouTube channel. 

ARDOT launched the campaign in October at the Arkansas State Fair, providing information to those interested in taking a proactive approach to litter and wanting to get involved with the Adopt-a-Highway (AAH) program. 

“People may not realize it, but long-term damage occurs when litter hits the highway,” explained Holly Butler, executive assistant for ARDOT’s Public Information Office. “Trash doesn’t just stay on the side of the road. It also gets washed into nearby rivers, lakes and streams, and pollutes waterways and aquatic habitats.” 

Arkansas has the 12th largest highway system in the nation with more than 16,000 miles of roadway to maintain and keep litter-free. For every 1 mile of road, Arkansas averages 2,000 pieces of trash — that adds up to almost 32 million pieces of litter each year.  
  
The AAH program helps address litter by allowing volunteers such as individuals, groups and organizations to pick up trash along the highway. With more than 900 groups across the state — and more added each day — there is an ongoing effort to keep Arkansas clean.   
  

“Even with that many volunteers, ARDOT still spends an average of $5 million each year picking up trash,” Butler said. “One of my duties is to oversee the Adopt-A-Highway program. We absolutely love our volunteers, but it’s clear that picking up trash isn’t the problem—littering is.” 

The video will be available for public use on ARDOT’s YouTube channel, found at www.youtube.com/myARDOT. 

Follow us on Twitter @IDriveArkansas for traffic and @myARDOT for everything else. 

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