Mn/DOT - Adopt a Highway Program

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Help keep litter off our highways

volunteer rolling tire to trash pile.

Litter is unsightly. It destroys the natural beauty of Minnesota’s roadsides.
Litter is expensive. Minnesota spends $5 million a year collecting litter – not counting what cities and counties spend.
Scenic and litter-free highways say “welcome” to visitors and help make us proud to be Minnesotans.

Litter Facts:

Adopt-a-Highway volunteers pick up litter on more than 12,000 miles of Minnesota roadways.
Adopt-a-Highway volunteers pick up approximately 26,000 tons of litter every year.
During a one-time sweep of Interstate 35W in Minneapolis, Adopt-a-Highway volunteers picked up 192 tons of trash in one day. The quantity filled 16 Mn/DOT tandem trucks and represented approximately 6,000 filled trash bags.
Researchers calculate that 55% of all littering is done intentionally by people who drop or discard products.
45% of roadside litter occurs unintentionally when trash blows out of uncovered trucks or falls off unsecured loads.
Experts estimate that approximately 80% of all littering is done by males.
Food and beverage packaging constitutes 51% of roadside litter.
A conviction for littering is a misdemeanor that is entered on the offender's driving record. Any second or subsequent offense shall require a minimum fine in the amount of $400. A judge may also order the offender to pick up litter along any public highway or road for four to eight hours under the direction of the Department of Transportation, with the option of a jail sentence being imposed. (Minn. Statutes 169.42 subp. 5)
Mn/DOT can bill an individual for retrieving and disposing of illegally dumped items like tires, appliances, furniture and hazardous waste.
Adopt-a-Highway volunteers save Mn/DOT $5 million every year.
Tipping fees imposed by landfills cost Mn/DOT approximately $250,000 every year.

Life span of Litter:

Item	Decomposition Time
Glass bottle	1 million years
Plastic 6-pack cover	450 years
Aluminum can	200-500 years
Rubber boot sole	50-80 years
Leather	up to 50 years
Nylon fabric	30-40 years
Plastic film container	20-30 years
Painted wooden stake	13 years
Plastic bag	10-20 years
Plastic coated paper	5 years
Wool clothing	1-5 years
Cigarette butt	1-5 years
Cotton rag	1-5 months
Orange or banana peel	2-5 weeks
Source: California Waste Management Bulletin