Amador County – The California Department of Transportation plans to have work crews on Highway 88 in Pine Grove and on Highways 49 and 16 around Ione to pick up litter today, that is Friday, April 22, as part of its statewide annual statewide Litter Removal and Enforcement Day.

Public information officer Chantel Miller of Caltrans District 10 in Stockton said the district’s maintenance field crews will clean up along freeways and roadways in the eight counties served by District 10.

Caltrans holds its annual cleanup day on Earth Day. Miller said the “activity is to enhance public awareness of the volume and cost associated with removing litter, trash and debris by removing litter along the highways and roadways.” Last year, Caltrans spent almost $50 million on litter removal throughout the state highway system. More than 141,000 cubic yards of litter were collected and disposed, or about 8,860 Caltrans garbage trucks full of litter.

“The best anti-litter campaign,” Miller said, “is to ensure trash never makes it onto our highways in the first place.”

In addition to the economic costs, litter presents a wide range of serious threats to the environment and human health. Wildlife can suffer from plastics in the environment; roadside vegetation can be damaged by large debris; fires can be started from burning cigarettes; and harmful chemicals and biohazards can cause a serious threat to human health. Miller said litter can clog roadway drainage systems and aid in the spread of disease.

Caltrans maintenance crews will pick up litter on highways and freeways in District 10 throughout the day.

In Alpine, Amador, Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties, Crews will be covering as much area as possible that has no Adopt-A-Highway sponsorship. They will pick up litter in the Pine Grove area, and along Highways 88, 49, and 104. They will stockpile at the Pine Grove maintenance yard. Crews will pick up along Highway 88 and stockpile at the Peddler Hill and Caples Lake maintenance yards and near Emigrant Trail. In Ione, crews will pick up on Highways 49 and 16, and stockpile at Highways 124 and 16.

Crews will also work in Calaveras County Highway 49, 12 and 26, stockpiling at Old Vactor Pits on SR12; in Tuolumne County on 108, and 120, stockpiling on 120 east of Kistler Ranch and on 108 just east of Green Springs Road.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.