If you want to make a difference and don’t mind being cheap labor–actually, free labor–Lake County has 64 sections of highway waiting to be cleaned up.
The county’s Adopt-a-Highway signup period runs Sunday to Aug. 15, and any business, organization, non-profit or other group that can commit to two trash cleanups a year for two years is asked to apply.
“It’s very labor-intensive to get out and walk these highways and pick up debris,” said Al Giertych, assistant county engineer, who helps administer the program. With about 300 miles of roads “we’d never have the resources to get out and pick up litter on every mile.”
The program has grown steadily in its 11 years, and volunteers already are responsible for 170 sections of roadway, ranging from .5 to 2 miles.
“They really make a difference out there,” Giertych said.
For more information on applications, which are reviewed and approved by the County Board’s Public Works and Transportation Committee, call 847-362-3950 or go to www.co.lake.il.us.
