Keeping it clean with Adopt-a-Highway

In response to the growing problem of trash blighting the landscape, the Oregon “Bottle Bill” took effect on October 1, 1972. Intended as a litter control measure, the “Bottle Bill” was the first of its kind in the nation, and within a few years the number of cans and bottles littering the Oregon landscape had been reduced by more than 80%.

Anyone growing up in Oregon in the 1950’s and 1960’s can remember the pervasive public service announcements imploring visitors and residents not to litter. Over the past half century, the population of Oregon has more than doubled, and our “throw-away society” now has much more stuff to throw away. When the clean-up of roadside litter came to a halt during the Covid pandemic of 2020 and debris rapidly started to accumulate, it was obvious to anyone driving Oregon’s highways that roadside trash continues to be a pervasive and unrelenting problem.

Concerned by the amount of trash along Highway 101 and wanting to do something positive for the area, Michael Skehan and David Young started participating in the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) “Adopt-a-Highway” program in late 2022. These full-time Cannon Beach residents adopted a three-mile section of Highway 101 from the Highway 26 intersection all the way to the north entrance of Cannon Beach. ODOT requires anyone adopting a section of Oregon’s highways to clean it four times a year, but these dedicated volunteers clean their section monthly and have collected more than 130 bags of trash over the past 20 months.

Asked what they commonly find littering the roadside, they said it ranges from plastic containers, bags and wrappers to glass bottles, aluminum cans, paper coffee cups with plastic lids, fast food packaging, construction debris, hub caps, shoes (but never a full pair), clothing and dirty diapers to a curious abundance of small plastic “Fireball” cinnamon whiskey bottles. Most of the litter is from occupants deliberately throwing things out the window of a moving vehicle, while some is accidental, such as debris blowing out the back of an open pickup truck, garbage truck or construction vehicle.

Along with the satisfaction of keeping their section of Highway 101 clean, Michael and David said that ODOT has been extremely easy to work with. ODOT provides all the supplies, including safety vests, garbage bags and trash grabbers for anyone willing to adopt a section, and picks up the full trash bags when volunteers are finished. Michael and David added that they’re “incredibly thankful for all of the Adopt-a-Highway volunteers and what they do to keep our highways clean.” They encourage individuals, families and businesses to consider participating in the ODOT program; adding that several sections of Highway 101 in the Cannon Beach area are still in need of volunteers. “It’s been a great way for us to give back to the community, plus it provides some great exercise.”