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The Missouri AAH program began in 1987. More than 4,000 groups and 40,000 volunteers in the program are focused on making Missouri’s roadsides cleaner and more attractive for our residents and visitors. More than 5,800 miles of roadway have been adopted.
Adopter groups include commercial and private enterprises, civic and non-profit organizations, families and individuals. MoDOT spends about $6 million annually to remove litter from more than 385,000 acres of right of way along 33,685 highway miles.
Adopters perform about $1 million a year in litter cleanup and beautification efforts. Every area kept free of litter by adopters allows MoDOT to devote resources to other much-needed tasks.
Adopters now have four options: pick up litter, mow, beautify the roadside through landscaping or grow native wildflowers and grasses on the roadsides.
MoDOT provides adopters with a certificate of appreciation, a safety training video, safety materials, and a sign with the group’s name posted on each end of the adopted highway section. MoDOT will provide trash bags and will also pick up and dispose of the bags of collected litter.
Adopters must:
- adopt at least one half-mile of urban roadside or two miles in a rural area
- collect litter at least four times a year
- sign a three-year agreement which can be cancelled at anytime by MoDOT or the adopter.
- submit an activity report to MoDOT
- participate in MoDOT’s safety training and follow all safety procedures
In 2002, MoDOT expanded the program by partnering with the Department of Conservation to establish No MOre Trash!, a litter-prevention campaign that encourages people to stop littering by educating them about the negative impacts of litter. Visit www.nomoretrash.org to find out more.
Grow Native Adoption Option
In 2007, MoDOT offered another option for the Adopt-A-Highway program. A group can now adopt a section of right of way solely for roadside native wildflowers and grasses. This option requires a group to plant Missouri native wildflowers on the roadside of their selected section and maintain their plantings. The adopted area will be larger and the plants used must be native to Missouri. Grow Native!, a joint program of the Missouri departments of Agriculture and Conservation will be helping to support the wildflower adoptions.
Some native wildflowers and grasses that could be used for this project would be the coreopsis, which is pictured on the Adopt-A-Highway sign, coneflowers, little bluestem and others plants that originated in Missouri.
** Landmark Adopters
** History of MO Adopt-A-Highway
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